Infinity
by Oktas
Summary: A prolific serial killer who has terrorized California for over five years reappears in Los Angeles, leaving behind a string of crime scenes that summons the BAU to L.A. But the team soon discovers a startling web of corruption surrounding the case, and after the disappearance of two of their own agents, tensions rise as their safe return becomes an ever distant realization.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

The man sat quietly in the darkened room, watching the credits roll of the television programme that had just concluded. He could hear the sound of the ocean from the open window behind him and breathed in the sea air coming into the room. The room was dark, except for the television's glaring light shining across the walls, and despite the darkness one could still make out the grandeur of the place. The moon glinted off the freshly polished hardwood floors, and the impeccable crown moulding of the walls made its presence boldly known despite the absence of light. The man lightly held a cup of tea in one hand as he ran his other through his hair, his fingers tracing through the curls formed after the heat and humidity of the day. He took a sip of the tea. Earl Grey. His favorite.

The television briefly went dark before the opening title sequence of a new show flitted across the screen. The man sat up in the couch and took another sip of tea. He smiled gently as the programme continued.

"Most criminals get caught," a deep voice announced on the television, "Thanks to modern science, technology, and advancements in forensics like never before it is virtually impossible to evade the law and get away with crime."

The voice over paused briefly, for dramatic effect.

"But despite our current law enforcement system, some still slip through the cracks."

The introduction sequence was unimaginative, but served its purpose. Various shots of the world's most heinous criminals flashed across the screen. A slow-motion shot of a police cruiser's light bar filled the room with alternating red and blue waves.

"We investigate the one percent of criminals who have gone undetected. Those who somehow leave no evidence behind... Those who leave no clues as to their identity, or when they will strike next. The small number of individuals who seem to have pulled off the perfect crime. This… Is Cold Case USA."

'Cold Case USA' appeared on the screen in large block letters in front of a black and grey background. The man took another sip of tea as he eagerly awaited the programme to continue. The shot crossfaded to the interior of a bleak looking set, presumably some sort of police station. A middle aged African-American man slowly walked toward the camera, holding an obvious case file and donning a plan grey suit.

"Good evening. I'm Michael Shelby, and welcome to another episode of Cold Case USA."

The camera followed the suited gentleman as he walked through the set. His voice was low and authoritative, and he held a stern, yet unintimidating expression on his face as he looked into the lens.

"Tonight we investigate one of the most baffling cold cases our country has ever seen. A cold case that has stumped the minds of some of the country's best detectives, rendered the investigative work of entire police forces fruitless, and seemingly defied modern forensic technology. Tonight, we look at a criminal without a face. Without an identity. A criminal known only as… The Infinity Killer."

The man chuckled to himself as he sat on the couch, watching the program. The name sounded so bizarre you almost couldn't take it seriously. Nevertheless, he was impressed that such a simple name was able to strike such immediate fear in whoever hears it.

"It all started six years ago," the host continued, "In a quiet Sacramento suburb. A man was found slashed beyond recognition in his home. The wounds so extensive, police could barely make out the identity of the victim. But there was something that made this crime scene different. A unique signature discovered at the crime scene that would end up being found all over California, identifying the work of one of the most horrific serial killers of recent years. On the wall, drawn in the victim's blood was a figure eight. Or, to be more specific, an infinity symbol, giving this serial killer the name we all know him as today."

A shot of the infinity symbol faded into focus on the television screen, casting shadows across the walls in the darkened room. The man peered at the symbol with a sort of thoughtful acceptance, raising his tea cup for yet another sip.

"Ever since that first murder nearly six years ago, the Infinity Killer has terrorized the West coast of California. His crime scenes have been found everywhere from San Francisco to the Mexican border. And at every crime scene, the infinity symbol was found drawn on the wall next to the victim. A morbid calling card or signature left behind with the killer's work. But even stranger than this symbol that was let behind, was what wasn't. Extensive investigation into every crime scene left by the Infinity killer has never yielded any forensic results. Not a fingerprint, nor a fibre. Not any shred of evidence that couldn't be explained away by basic reasoning and deduction. In fact, authorities throughout the entire state of California have found only six pieces of possible, reliable evidence to date regarding the Infinity Killer, which experts continue to analyze today."

The man continued sipping his tea on the couch, a light smile on his face as various shots of evidence appeared on the television screen.

"Police throughout California have put several plans into action over the past six years in an attempt to apprehend the so called Infinity Killer. Extensive undercover operations and covert stings were carried out by numerous police departments, all resulting in various arrests, but none directly linkable to the Infinity Killer. Speculation has ran rampant as to who the killer may be, and various theories ranging from Hollywood celebrities to Political figures have been debated and ultimately thrown out by the authorities. But one thing remains clear: The Infinity Killer is still out there, and does not appear to be stopping any time soon. Cold Case USA interviewed Los Angeles Police Chief Kevin Hunt to reveal his thoughts about the case, when we received this shocking statement."

An older man now appeared on the screen, dressed in full uniform and standing in front of an American Flag. The footage looked like it was taken from some sort of recent press conference as microphones appeared in the corner of the shot, and flashes could be seen from various cameras lighting up the background.

"In regards to the Infinity Killer case," the police chief began, "I do believe we eventually will get an answer as to who is behind these crimes. However realistically speaking, given this individual's previous behaviour, I would hazard a guess that without any drastic or sudden developments in the case, it is highly unlikely we will be able to catch whoever is doing this in the immediate future."

The man chuckled as he watched the programme. He took another sip of tea and reclined back in the couch, his free left hand slowly tracing a small figure eight on the cushion beside him.

"Highly unlikely…" the man whispered to himself, echoing the police chief. "Highly unlikely indeed."

The moonlight glinted off the dark tea in the cup as it gently swilled from side to side, the tea looking like fresh blood as the moonlight danced across its surface in the darkened room.


	2. Chapter 2

The door to the aircraft closed with a satisfying clunk, as the BAU team finished taking their seats inside the small jet. The cockpit door was still open, and the team could see the Captain performing various checks in the flight deck while the First Officer remained back in the cabin, ensuring the aircraft door was properly closed prior to takeoff.

"We have a few more checks to do before we can pressurize the cabin and fire 'er up," the First Officer said, looking at Hotch, "But we should be in the air shortly."

"Thank you." Hotch replied back. The First Officer gave a quick nod at the other team members before entering the cockpit and closing the door behind him for the flight.

"Thank you all for arriving so quickly." Hotch said to the team. "I would have liked to do the briefing back at the office, but with this storm coming, the captain called me and advised we take off sooner rather than later to avoid any delays."

Rossi chuckled as he glanced up at Hotch.

"That reminds me of when I took that trip to the Dominican a few years back." Rossi said. "We were trying to take off during a thunderstorm and ended up spending an hour and a half sitting in the plane on the ground waiting for it to pass. I nearly missed my connecting flight…"

Morgan glanced out the window at the weather outside. If the plane didn't take off soon, they may have the same problem. The sky was grey for most of that day in Quantico but it was nearly black now. Low clouds hung in the sky as rain fell lightly but steadily on the tarmac. He couldn't see any lightning, but if the weather reports on the news that day were anything to go by, a whopper of a thunderstorm was soon approaching.

"You know, thunderstorms are one of the most dangerous things for an aircraft to fly through." Reid quickly said, as the others glanced his way. "Although modern aircraft are engineered to be protected in the event of a lightning strike, the severe wind shear and turbulence associated with thunderstorms and the cumulonimbus clouds during their formation can end up being deadly in certain instances."

Morgan shot Reid a glare. "You think you could have waited to tell us that until after we had landed, kid?" Reid smiled sheepishly and turned away.

JJ and Callahan sat next to each other across from Hotch and Rossi. They each took out their iPads while Hotch handed Reid paper copies of the information displayed on the small screens.

"So, where are we off to today?" Callahan asked, as she flipped through the digital documents on her tablet. "Los Angeles." Hotch replied back. Rossi glanced up from his tablet and smiled.

"Ahh, the Golden State." Rossi said wistfully. "Why do I get the feeling that there won't be any time for sightseeing…"

Hotch attempted a smile as he poked at the screen. The team could now hear the sound of the engines spinning to life. A welcome din meaning they would soon be off the ground and in the air before the weather got much worse.

"The Los Angeles Police Department has called us out to assist with the Infinity Killer investigation." Hotch announced. JJ looked up from her tablet at the team.

"Wait, the Infinity Killer?" JJ asked quizzically. "Hasn't he been around since, like, 2009 and nobody's been able to catch him?"

Hotch nodded in agreement.

"Next month marks the six year anniversary since he started killing. He's hit pretty much every city along the California coastline, and despite extensive investigations, the local police have always turned up with nothing."

"My God…" Callahan whispered as she peered at something on her tablet. "Says here this guy's body count has reached 46 victims. Why haven't we pursued this investigation sooner?"

"Oh, we tried." Rossi muttered. "But none of the Police Forces from any of the cities the Infinity Killer had hit ever accepted our help."

"It doesn't help that he never stayed in one city for long either." Hotch added. "As soon as police discovered a crime scene, he would already be gone and in a different city, miles away. I suppose the local police figured there was little we could do with the unsub randomly coming and going like that, and without any sort of steady pattern I had to agree."

"Well something must have changed." JJ said. "Why are they suddenly calling us now?"

"The LAPD chief I spoke with over the phone indicated they have found three bodies within the past week, all with the same signature as the Infinity Killer." Hotch said, as he flipped his iPad around for the others to see. The Infinity Symbol scrawled in blood on the wall was clearly visible on the screen.

Morgan glanced up at Hotch. "Do you think these could be copycats?" Morgan asked, "I mean, the Infinity Killer's never killed this rapidly in the same place before."

"Forensics just finished examining the first two crime scenes," Hotch started, "And like with all previous Infinity Killer homicides, no obvious evidence was found. I think it would be very unlikely for a random copycat to have the same degree of precision as the real killer."

"That's another thing that's odd." Reid sad, as he flipped through his papers. "This indicates that after almost six years and now 46 victims, the Infinity Killer has never left a shred of evidence behind at a crime scene. Statistically speaking, it's virtually impossible to leave absolutely nothing behind. Never mind at just a few crime scenes, but 46?"

"He has to have left something." Callahan added.

"It may be strange, but I'm afraid it's true." Hotch replied. "Countless forensic professionals have analyzed every crime scene, and to date only marginal evidence has been discovered. No fingerprints have ever been found which indicates the unsub is fastidious with using gloves at the crime scenes, and likely employs other forensic countermeasures to ensure the crime scenes leave no clues behind as to who he is."

"This guy is obviously meticulous." JJ announced, as the team continued to peer at their screens. "I mean it's one thing to be careful, but this level of consistent precision for so long is extremely rare. The mental effort he must put into planning these kills has got to be extreme."

"Either that, or he's just gotten lucky." Morgan said, setting his tablet down. "You can be as prepared as possible but there are some things that lie outside of anybody's control."

"Yeah, but lucky for six years?" Rossi added. "It's got to be more precise than that. This guy doesn't seem like the type that would simply rely on luck."

"It's possible he's not working alone, either." Reid mentioned to the team. "If he was working with a partner or multiple partners, even, his chances of going undetected would likely be better if he has somebody else acting as a watchdog or simply to assist with the planning."

"The relationship between the two of them would have to be pretty tense, though." Callahan said. "Whoever the partner is would have to be submissive enough to put the effort into helping the Infinity Killer with the crimes, while getting no payoff for it while the real killer basks in the glory."

The pop of speakers coming to life could be heard inside the aircraft as the Captain's voice came through the intercom from the flight deck.

"Good afternoon Agents. We've just received our taxi clearance to the runway, so if you're not already buckled up, now would be a good time to do so before we get moving. We should be on the runway shortly and on our way before the weather deteriorates much more, but it'll likely still be a pretty bumpy takeoff."

The team could hear the engines spinning up as the jet began to crawl forward in the taxi, and everybody secured their belongings as the aircraft maneuvered its way to the rain-soaked runway for departure.

"We'll take a look at any more information we have once we're in the air," Hotch said to the team, "and split up as soon as we get to L.A. The faster we work, the higher our chances are of catching this guy before he moves on to another city or decides to lay low."

The team nodded in agreement as they felt the aircraft make a sharp turn, lining up with the runway. After a brief pause, the engines steadily advanced to their takeoff thrust as the aircraft accelerated down the pavement. The rain was now a mere blur outside the windows as the aircraft picked up speed, and droplets on the windows streaked rearwards before being sucked away. The team felt the nose of the aircraft rise, as they departed the ground and began gaining altitude for the flight. The cloud cover was thick, but despite the low ceiling the team could make out a few roads on the ground as the aircraft climbed into the air. Even through the cloud and poor visibility they could make out a small shopping area below as the plane roared away from the airport, the curving roads and streets around the stores and buildings almost looking like a figure eight from the air as the team departed home.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter…**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you to everybody who has followed this story thus far! I'm so glad you've all been enjoying it. Please enjoy chapter 3, and feel free to leave a review at the end!**_

_"__The more you approach infinity, the deeper you penetrate terror" – Gustave Flaubert_

The team had landed in Los Angeles just after three o'clock, and despite the nearly five hour flight there was no time to rest before they got to work. They were greeted with three midnight black SUVs waiting for them on the tarmac, courtesy of the Los Angeles FBI Field Office. The vehicles must have been sitting there for a while soaking up the scorching California sun, as they were unbearably warm by the time the BAU had gotten in.

"We'll all head to the LAPD Headquarters first," Hotch announced to the team as they climbed into the SUVs, two agents per vehicle. "Once we meet with the chief of police and find out more about these latest crime scenes, we can split up and get to work."

The SUVs departed single file away from the airport, heading to Los Angeles' downtown core where they would meet the chief. Despite L.A's notorious traffic the drive didn't take long as the vehicles made their way down the streets of The Big Orange. It was a nearly perfect day outside, and the team took the brief opportunity to admire the weather before they delved into the case. The sun hung high in a bright blue cloudless sky, as a gentle breeze tempered the heat of the day. However there was little time to enjoy the scenery as the SUVs pulled up to the rear parking lot of the Los Angeles Police Department's headquarters. Hotch and Rossi emerged from the first vehicle followed by Morgan and Callahan in the second, with JJ and Reid taking up the rear.

Rossi glanced to his left as the team hurriedly walked to the main entrance of the building. Some sort of commotion was going on a little further up the road.

"Trouble in paradise?" Rossi asked out loud. "Looks like the Infinity Killer isn't the only problem the police are dealing with here…"

Rossi pointed to across the street where a large group of protesters were stationed outside the police headquarters. Several were holding signs as others led the group through a protest chant through a grainy megaphone. The team could see a row of five or six officers standing firmly in front of the unruly posse, brandishing riot shields and fending off the occasional protester who got too close.

"Agent Hotchner!" a voice called out from the other direction.

The team turned around to see an older gentleman emerging from the front entrance of the police headquarters and approaching the team.

"I'm Kevin Hunt, the Chief of Police for the LAPD." The man said as he approached closer and shook Hotch's hand. "Thank you all so much for getting here so quickly."

"Thank you for requesting our assistance with the investigation." Hotch replied. "Chief, meet the rest of my team. These are SSA's Rossi, Morgan, Jareau and Callahan, and this is Dr. Reid." Hotch gestured to each member of the team.

"It's great to meet you all. Come on in," Chief Hunt said as he led the team to the entrance of the building, "And please accept my apologies for the ruckus going on out here. I hope they didn't give you any trouble on your way in."

"What exactly _is_ going on over there?" Callahan asked as Chief Hunt held the front door of the building open for the rest of the team to enter. The chief glanced around awkwardly and it was clear he didn't want to bring up the cause of the protest.

"About a week ago," the chief started in a low voice, "One of our officers shot and killed a Hispanic teen after he was caught in the middle of a drug deal. The kid made a run for it when police arrived, and the officer who pulled the trigger claimed the kid wielded a gun at him and his partner when they were finally able to corner him."

"Well, it sounds like your officer was justified in the shooting." Hotch said to the chief.

"Yeah, but now the entire Hispanic community is up in arms." The chief replied back. "Look, the reputation of the LAPD is already at an all-time low with all these recent Infinity Killer murders. All these protests claiming racial prejudice in the force aren't helping."

The chief sighed and looked at Hotch.

"At this point I've had no choice but to initiate an internal investigation into the force to prove to the public our cops aren't out for blood."

The group walked further through the building, as the main doors closed behind them, drowning out the din of the protesters from outside. The chief led the team into a large briefing room just to the left of the main hallway. The room was surprisingly large, but hopelessly bleak. Despite three windows along the far end of the room, the entire space appeared almost entirely grey. A dark grey floor met equally dark walls, finished with an off-white tile roof. There were various tables surrounded with numerous black chairs along with portable white boards scattered around the room, ready for the case.

"I hope this will be enough for you all." The police chief said to the team as he flipped a light switch near the door as everybody piled in. The addition of the lights didn't seem to illuminate the room any more than keeping them turned off.

"This will be fine, thank you." Hotch replied.

The team began putting their things down on the tables and pulling out the documentation they received before their arrival, when a female officer clutching two large boxes came into the room. She set the boxes down with a thud on the nearest table to the door.

"Agents, this is Officer Genevieve Wilson." Chief Hunt announced to the team. "She's been working the Infinity Killer case ever since he reappeared earlier this week."

"Afternoon, agents." The officer said to the team. She pointed to the boxes she had just left on the table. "This is everything we've collected so far from the crime scenes. Photos, documents, and info about each of the victims. We've also got a small tech department here if you need any more info dug up about anything."

Rossi looked up at the officer.

"Thanks for the offer," Rossi began, "But we've got the computer side of things covered."

The team all knew Garcia would make mincemeat out of whomever they had working in front of the screens at the LAPD.

"I've got to admit, I'm a little star-struck." Officer Wilson proclaimed. The team all looked her way. She was a shorter, rounder woman with dark blonde hair chopped off at the shoulders. Socially, she came across as a little awkward as she stood rigidly by the boxes, her hands in her pockets.

"It's not every day we get to work with the BAU, you know." She continued. "I've been a fan of the whole profiling thing ever since your team started."

"The both of us will be around if you need anything else." Chief hunt interjected. "The whole place is yours until we finally catch whoever is behind this."

Chief Hunt left the room while Officer Wilson remained behind, almost oblivious to her chief's departure.

The team was already digging into the boxes, pulling out files and crime scene photos. Morgan had already emptied one box, and looked at the lack of contents quizzically.

"Wait, is this it?" Morgan asked. "The forensics report doesn't even cover a whole page."

Officer Wilson looked at him and shrugged.

"That's the Infinity Killer for you." She began. "He leaves nothing behind. I've never seen anything like it, to be honest. Especially given the condition of the body, you'd think there would be a foot print or something in the blood. But there never is."

"Maybe the unsub inflicts the majority of the stab wounds post mortem." Callahan mentioned. "Once the heart stops pumping the blood through the body, the velocity of any splatter would be significantly less, and likely more containable."

"Ew." Officer Wilson awkwardly sputtered. "But that's another thing I've always wondered about. Why the stabbing like that? I mean, wouldn't it be faster and easier to just use a gun?"

"It's possible the unsub gains sexual satisfaction from the stabbing." Reid piped up from the back of the room. "Some unsubs, especially those suffering from impotency issues use a knife as a sexual surrogate."

"Seriously?" Officer Wilson asked, an almost comical look of disgust on her face. "Some guys are into that?"

Reid shrugged at the officer and nodded matter-of-factly.

"And that's why I switched my preference to women years ago." Officer Wilson uttered, before leaving the room. JJ and Morgan shot each other awkward glances as Rossi let out a quick sigh.

"Okay." Hotch announced, finally breaking the painfully awkward atmosphere left by the last comment from Officer Wilson. "Let's get started. Reid, I want you to stay here and begin a geographical profile of the Infinity Killer. Start the profile when he began six years ago and see if you can find any pattern to the cities he's hit."

Reid nodded and sat down at one of the tables.

"Morgan and JJ, head to the coroner and have the medical examiner show you the last victims. Dave and I will head to the latest crime scene, and Kate, get on the phone with Garcia and see if you find any connections between the victims."

Everybody nodded in agreement.

"We need to work quickly and accurately if we want to have a hope of catching this guy before he changes his pattern again. Let's move."

Hotch began to lead the team out of the room when suddenly Chief Hunt came rushing back in, holding his cell phone desperately in his hand.

"Agent Hotchner…" the chief stammered, "We've got a situation."

"What's going on?" Hotch barked. The chief handed him the cell phone and Hotch peered at the screen.

"This is a copy of a text message our 911 operators received a few minutes ago." The Chief said to Hotch, who was reading the message intently. "I thought you'd want to see this…"

Hotch looked at the message on the screen. An address was typed into the first line, followed by a short yet menacing message.

_214 Johnson Street_

_Best arrive quickly if you would like to save a life today._

_PS – Tell the BAU I give them my warmest welcome to Los Angeles._

_\- 8_

The figure eight at the end of the message could only mean one thing. The Infinity Killer had sent the text, and was well aware of the team's presence on the case.

"Change of plans." Hotch announced to the team, his voice more serious now than usual. "Morgan and Rossi, come with me. The Infinity Killer has left us another victim, and from what he wrote in this text, they may still be alive."

The team looked at each other in surprise.

"Lets move!" Hotch said, as Morgan and Rossi followed him and the chief as they rushed out of the room.

* * *

The man sat quietly on the bench outside, taking in the ocean view as bicycles and pedestrians passed by on the beachfront pathway a little ways ahead of him. He held a cup from a nearby coffee shop in his hand and brought it to his lips to take a sip. A small string dangled from the lid of the cup as a paper label attached on the end fluttered in the gentle ocean breeze. If you looked close enough, you could make out the words 'Earl Grey' on the small tag.

The man casually glanced to his right, as a gentleman steadily approached the bench. He was wearing a blue shirt tucked into a pair of grey dress pants, while large sunglasses partially obscured his face. The man on the bench took another sip of his tea, while the gentleman in the blue shirt casually took a seat next to him.

"It's nice of you to join me." The first man said, after swallowing his small sip of tea.

"Just coming to see how you're doing." The man in the blue shirt replied back.

"Oh, Alex… You know me…" The man took another sip of tea.

"I know you always think you've got everything figured out, but are you sure you want to do this?"

The first man turned and looked into the other's sunglasses.

"I don't think I've got everything figured out, Alex. I know I do." The man took another quick sip. "And this is exactly what I want to do. Or, perhaps to be more accurate… What I need to do."

"I just want you to be careful." The man in the blue shirt replied back. "You're poking the bear, and you know as well as I do that this bear has a tendency to poke back."

The first man chuckled as he lightly held his cup.

"That's exactly why I'm doing it, Alex. To teach the bear that someone bigger has moved into the forest. Trust me."

The man in the blue shirt seemed to relax a bit.

"You know I'll be here to help, no matter what."

"I know."

The man brought the cup to his lips for the last time, draining the meagre amount of liquid remaining inside.

"There is one of them I want to legitimately meet, however."

"I think I know who."

The man holding the now empty cup turned and smiled at the other.

"I'm sure you do."

The man in the blue shirt glanced down.

"You know, there's no guarantee that he's going to have the answer."

"Oh, I know." The man in the blue shirt looked back up at the other. "In fact, I'm almost counting on it. But, you know what they say, Alex… No way to know until you try, right?"

The man with the cup stood up from the bench and gave himself a quick stretch.

"We'll be in touch, Alex." He said before rolling his shirt sleeve up, checking his watch. "Have you gotten those things lined up that I asked?"

"They're done."

"Wonderful."

The man pulled his shirt sleeve back down over his watch face.

"We're going to have a busy week ahead of us." The man said with a smile. "It should keep us busy."

The man slowly walked away from the bench, his hand gasping the empty cup as he made his way to a nearby trash bin. He took a quick look to his right at the ocean and smiled, his thumb tracing an invisible figure eight on the lid of the cup before he gave it a light toss into the trash bin.

The cup fell to the bottom with a ghostly bump.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	4. Chapter 4

"FBI!"

Hotch's voice rang out inside the open hallway as a battering ram sent a metal door flying from its hinges and into a large industrial room.

The address on the text message had sent the team to an abandoned factory on the southeast edge of the city. Chief Hunt had explained during the drive that the area had been abandoned for a few years after a real estate development deal fell through, and the team could easily tell the buildings were in a sad state of disrepair.

Hotch, Morgan and Rossi stormed the room, followed by Chief hunt and four of his police officers as they began to search the inside. The space was large, and looked like it was some sort of production facility back in its heyday. Old conveyor belts lay rusting in the centre of the room, while decrepit machinery was scattered around. The factory smelled of must and oil, and dust particles could be seen hanging in the air as sunlight shone in through a series of small windows situated at the top of the thirty foot tall metal roof.

"Help me!" A pained voice could be heard from the back corner of the room.

"Please… Somebody, help me!"

The room tapered off near the back, and the voice was coming from behind some sort of large hydraulic pressing machine. Hotch cautiously approached before wheeling around the machine, his gun drawn, when he saw a man slumped over in a metal chair against the back wall of the room.

"We've got someone here!" Hotch called out, as he holstered his gun and rushed towards the man, Morgan and Rossi following close behind.

"We need an ambulance, now!" Rossi shouted to the chief and his officers who were just piling into the back of the room.

"Please help me…" the man sobbed, as Hotch rushed to his side.

"My name is Aaron Hotchner and I'm with the FBI." Hotch said to the man, as he began to pull at duct tape holding each of the man's hands and feet to the chair. "We're going to get you out of here."

Morgan assisted in freeing the man, while Rossi looked around the room. He spotted a darkened, wet area on the floor a few feet away from the chair, along with a large container of water and a rag sitting in the corner of the room. It looked as if the man had been water boarded.

Rossi turned to his left to see a decaying wooden table situated next to the large pressing machine. Some sort of electrical apparatus was sitting, plugged in, on the top with two large alligator clips on wires hanging from the machine. A rusted metal pipe, approximately four feet long sat on the table as well, dried blood visible on the surface. An old lamp, soldering iron, and arc welder also sat plugged in on top of the table, the condition of the objects matching that of the rest of the building.

Rossi glanced over at the man, now almost entirely free from the chair. His shoes were missing, and his shirt was crooked. Rossi could tell somebody had buttoned it up, but was off by one button when they attempted to do it. He glanced down at the ground near the table and noticed an extension cord lying underneath, the other end plugged into an outlet about 10 feet away from the room. Rossi looked back towards the table and saw a power bar where the lamp, arc welder, and other machinery were plugged in. There were no more plugs available, so the extension cord had to have powered something else. Something important enough for whomever to take it with them.

Suddenly, two EMTs came rushing into the room pushing a stretcher alongside with them. An ambulance had accompanied the police on their way to the factory, and despite the lack of any obvious serious injuries on the man, everyone was grateful he could receive medical care without any more delays. Hotch and Morgan had just finished freeing the man from the chair by the time the EMTs arrived.

"He doesn't appear to be critically injured, but he'll need to go to a hospital right away." Hotch said, as the two EMTs began treating the victim and transferred him to the stretcher. Hotch and Morgan made their way over to Rossi.

"Something doesn't seem right, here." Rossi said, looking around at the factory. "The Infinity Killer has never left a victim alive before. None of the previous victims even showed any signs of torture, and he suddenly presents us with this?"

"Dave's right." Morgan said. "The Infinity Killer has never kidnapped and tortured before. This seems completely inconsistent with everything he's done for the past six years."

"Regardless of who did this and why, the person responsible somehow knew that we arrived to assist with the investigation." Hotch replied. "It was clear in the text message that he wanted us to know he's aware of our presence."

"How did he know we were here?" Rossi questioned. "The LAPD hasn't said anything to the media, and as far as I'm aware, the only people who know we're here are Chief Hunt and the LAPD."

"Someone had to leak something about our arrival." Morgan said. "I'll call Garcia and ask her to monitor every media outlet to see if one of them reported a story about us being here."

Morgan pulled out his phone and stepped into the larger area of the factory to make the call.

Hotch glanced over at the victim who was now secured on the stretcher. The paramedics were fastening various medical apparatuses to him as heart rate and blood pressure monitors attached to the stretcher sprung to life.

"So why change his M.O. now?" Rossi asked. "Why change so drastically after six years of doing the exact same thing?"

"It's possible he did this especially for us." Hotch said. "After all, he was adamant about referencing our team in the text he sent."

"Or, he didn't do it at all." Rossi refuted. "I mean, nothing makes sense here. There are no stab wounds on the victim. He's still alive. The infinity symbol isn't anywhere to be seen either! If the Infinity Killer really is behind this, he's done a pretty poor job of convincing us."

"Agents!" One of the EMTs shouted from behind Hotch and Rossi. "You might want to take a look at this!"

The two approached closer, as one of the EMTs held the man's shirt open while he attached various sensors to his body. The agents' blood ran cold when they saw what was left on the victim.

A crude infinity symbol had been burned into the man's chest. The skin was peeled and beginning to scab, but the wound could still be clearly identified.

"I think we found our symbol." Rossi said solemnly as the two looked at the scars.

"I've got Garcia checking out all the media outlets," the group heard from behind them, as Morgan entered the back corner of the room, "But so far she hasn't found any information that they've released pertaining to us."

"Morgan, take a look at this." Hotch said. Morgan came over and grimaced.

"The son of a bitch…" Morgan spat out, looking away from the wound.

Rossi turned away from the victim, a thought brewing in his head. All of this looked too familiar. The waterboarding, the burns… The machine with the alligator clips that was undoubtedly used to electrocute the victim… Rossi suddenly had a startling realization.

"I think I know what's going on here." Rossi whispered, as the paramedics began rushing the man out on the stretcher.

"Just one more thing before you leave!" Rossi said to the paramedics. They stopped the stretcher and Rossi pulled the sock off of one of the victim's feet. The bottom of the man's foot was severely bruised and bleeding. Rossi nodded before pulling the sock back on again.

"That's all I needed…" he said, as the paramedics hurriedly pushed the stretcher from the room.

"There's a reason I thought I'd seen this kind of torture before." Rossi announced to Hotch and Morgan. "It's because I have. We all have!"

Hotch and Morgan looked at Rossi quizzically.

"Think about it," Rossi started, "The bruising on the feet and the bloody pipe on the table. When Reid was kidnapped by Tobias Hankel all those years ago, one thing Hankel did to torture him was beat the soles of his feet."

Morgan and Hotch painfully remembered Reid's ordeal, while both noting the similarities.

"Then the waterboarding and electrocution." Rossi continued, "When Cruz and JJ were held hostage last year, Askari did both those things to try to get the codes out of her."

"And when Emily was captured by Doyle," Hotch interjected, "Doyle burned a four-leaf clover on her chest with a soldering iron."

"Exactly!" Rossi replied.

"So the Infinity Killer didn't do this just for the sake of changing his routine." Morgan uttered, "He did this especially for us. He's repeating what's been done to us to the victim."

"It's like some sick theatrical production." Rossi said, turning to face the now empty chair where the victim had been. "A matinee showing of 'Look What I Can Do'."

"But how would the Infinity Killer have known about what our team went through?" Morgan asked. "It's not like we release the details of the torture of a federal agent on the internet."

"The case files of Reid, JJ, and Prentiss' abductions are all classified." Hotch said to the others. "Police need special permission to access those files because they pertain to federal agents."

"You'd have to be pretty motivated to get your hands on them." Rossi said. "And as much as I hate to say it, it would make things a whole lot easier if whoever did this was established somehow in law enforcement."

"Whoever is behind this can obviously get their hands on information." Morgan said. "First they knew we arrived to work on the case, and now this? I don't like that this guy knows so much about us."

"From now on we have to be careful about who we trust." Hotch said. "We'll keep information just between our team, and stay as far away from the media spotlight as possible."

"If this guy's already dug up so much about our past," Rossi started, "Who knows what he'll use to taunt us with next?"

"Let's all head back to the station." Hotch announced to Morgan and Rossi. "I think it's time we start to put together our profile."

_**Thanks to everyone for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	5. Chapter 5

The team gathered around a large table in the centre of the bleak briefing room. Hotch, Morgan and Rossi had returned minutes ago and filled the others in as to their chilling discovery in the factory.

"So this guy forced the victim to endure the same torture as you went through?" Callahan asked incredulously, looking at Reid and JJ. "How the hell does he even know the details of any of that?"

"That's what we have to find out." Hotch replied. "I know this brings back several bad memories for this entire team," he continued, "But right now we have to focus less on what he did, and more on why he did it."

Hotch glanced at Reid and JJ. Despite their best efforts to appear calm, Hotch could tell they were both tense after having to re-live their abductions through the case. Whoever was behind these killings had obviously intended to get under the team's skin.

"Why leave the victim alive?" JJ blurted out. "I mean, the Infinity Killer could have killed him after the torture, but he let him live. That's taking a huge risk."

"JJ's right," Rossi began, "This guy's got to be pretty confident to leave a witness behind and still not fear getting caught."

"Too confident." Morgan added.

"What about the victim?" Reid questioned from the back of the room. "What do we know about him?"

"At this point, not much." Hotch replied. "The paramedics insisted he get stabilized at the hospital before we can question him about what happened."

"The victim wasn't carrying any I.D. either." Morgan continued, "But Garcia's looking at missing persons reports from the past few days that match the description of the victim."

"So what _do_ we know?" Callahan asked with a sigh.

"We know this guy somehow has the ability to travel all over California with relative ease." Rossi announced, pointing at a whiteboard next to Reid. There were several maps of California tacked up on the board, with red lines connecting one city to another. "Whatever job this guy has needs to be accommodating enough for all those little road trips."

"The number of cities the unsub's hit has been extensive." Reid began, standing up and pointing at the maps, "But there really hasn't been any sort of pattern I've found in terms of which places he's gone to. He started in Sacramento before going southeast to Stockton and Modesto followed by a jump down to Los Angeles before returning north again."

"So he's just going up and down the entire state?" Morgan asked.

"That's what I thought at first, but then he seemed to hover around the area between Fresno and Bakersfield, before heading west to the coast and then moving gradually south."

"Do you think his occupation somehow takes him to all these different cities?" JJ questioned.

"Either that, or the unsub has the world's most flexible employer." Morgan replied.

"We also can't disregard the possibility that this guy could be working somehow in law enforcement." Rossi added. "After all, that would explain how he was so easily able to obtain tightly guarded information about our team."

The team took a brief pause. Nobody wanted to believe Rossi was right, but they couldn't shake the logic behind his reasoning. Callahan broke the brief silence.

"We also know that the unsub thinks of himself as virtually invincible." Callahan included. "This guy is confident enough to leave his last victim alive, and directly taunt our entire team. It's like he knows he's not going to get caught."

"And then there's the whole signature with the Infinity Symbol." Rossi mentioned. "I think it's pretty obvious what that's supposed to mean."

"He's telling the police that they're never going to catch him." Morgan replied. "He can keep on killing for infinity and no matter how hard anybody tries, they can't stop him."

"While he knows it's impossible to do this forever," Rossi added, "The Infinity symbol represents that there's never going to be an end. There's never going to be closure. Even if the unsub decides to stop killing, the mystery of who he is will never go away."

"The guy's obviously narcissistic." JJ included. "He's brazen in his kills. He wants to make sure the authorities know he's responsible for the murders and he gets off knowing they can't do anything about it."

"But he's also legitimately proficient." Reid said. "The fact that the unsub has been able to get away with this for almost six years will have fuelled his ego even more."

"This last crime scene was just theatre for him." Callahan said. "At this point he's just taunting us for the fun of it."

"So we have a narcissistic egomaniac that's somehow been able to kill 46 people and evade capture for six years." Morgan said. "He's got to be clinically precise, and at the same time has the ability to find out information about our team without raising any alarms. What the hell are we dealing with here?"

Suddenly, Hotch's phone sprang to life, emitting a plain ring tone throughout the quiet boardroom. Hotch pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen.

"It's Garcia". Hotch announced to the team, as he tapped the screen to answer the call and put the cell phone onto speaker mode.

"Garcia, you're on speaker." He called out into the phone. The team could hear the sound of ferocious typing coming from the cell.

"Sir!" Garcia's voice rang out from the gritty speaker on Hotch's phone. "I've got an ID on the victim you found a little while ago in the factory."

"Who is he, Mama?" Morgan called out.

"Turns out he's 51 year old Robert Warrener." Garcia replied back. "His wife filed a missing persons report last night after he didn't show up at home after work, and doctors at the hospital just confirmed his identity."

"What can you tell us about him, Garcia?" Hotch asked into the phone.

"Glad you asked!" Garcia called back. "So, it looks like this Warrener guy is super, super rich. Like, we're talking lots and lots of zeros after dollar signs and numbers kind of rich. He's a successful investment banker who realised success on Wall Street before moving to LA to start up a private investments firm."

"Have you done a background check on him, Garcia?" Rossi asked. "Any ties to criminal connections?"

"Nothing." Garcia replied back. "He's clean. But I was able to find something interesting..."

"What is it Garcia?" JJ called out into the phone.

"I took a look into Mr. Warrener's accounts, and it looks like fifteen million dollars was mysteriously transferred from his bank account about half an hour before that text was sent to the LAPD's 911 dispatchers. Which, to answer your next question, I wasn't able to trace. Whoever sent the text likely used a disposable cell that they destroyed right after sending it."

"What about the money transfer?" Rossi asked into the phone.

"I've managed to trace it into some shady account down in Mexico." Garcia replied. "After that it was transferred again to an offshore account, equally high on the shady factor, where it disappears."

"Can you find out where the money was eventually received?" Reid asked.

"Not easily." Garcia replied. "Whoever orchestrated this was pretty good… They made sure the trail disappeared after the Mexican and offshore accounts. It could have bounced around even more before reaching its destination."

"Thank you Garcia." Hotch said into the phone, before tapping the screen and putting it back into his pocket.

"Well…" Rossi started, "Like too much starch in a nice Bolognese sauce, the plot thickens."

"Maybe the kidnapping and torture played two parts." Morgan said to the team. "It wasn't only used as a way to taunt us, but it was also a means to an end to get Mr. Warrener to transfer the money."

"Fifteen million is a lot of cash." Rossi said. "What the hell does the guy need so much of it for? There are far quicker and easier ways to get smaller amounts, yet he still went to all the trouble to get fifteen million."

"It fits the profile of the Infinity Killer." Hotch said. "Go big or go home. He knows he's not going to get caught, so he might as well maximize his profits in one shot."

Hotch's phone rang yet again and he pulled it from his pocket, looking at the screen. He didn't recognize the number. Hotch tapped the screen to answer the call and brought the phone to his ear.

"This is SSA Hotchner." Hotch said into his cell. The murmurs of somebody speaking on the other line could vaguely be heard.

"Thank you. I will send some of my agents immediately."

Hotch put the phone back into his pocket.

"That was the hospital." Hotch announced. "The doctors have given us permission to interview Mr. Warrener about what happened. He's the only person to have ever survived an encounter with the Infinity Killer, so it's imperative we get as much information as he can remember."

Hotch glanced over at Reid and JJ after a brief pause.

"I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think it would be beneficial to the case, but I believe you might be able to establish a better connection with the victim seeing as-"

"It's okay." Reid interrupted. "We can handle it."

"I agree with you, Hotch." JJ said. "At this point Mr. Warrener may be our only lead into who the Infinity Killer is."

"Thank you. Both of you." Hotch replied, as JJ and Reid collected their things. "Let me know what you've found out as soon as you've concluded the interview. No piece of information is too small."

JJ nodded as Reid followed her out of the room.

Hotch turned to the remainder of the team. "We'll continue building the profile and deliver it to the LAPD once JJ and Reid return. Hopefully they'll bring back some more information that will lead us to this guy once and for all."

The rest of the team nodded and continued pouring over the paltry amount of information they had, a photo of the infinity symbol scrawled in blood almost watching in bemusement at the team's efforts as it hung, taped to the top of the whiteboard while it seemingly watched over the team as they worked.

* * *

JJ and Reid climbed into one of the black SUVs in the rear parking lot of the police headquarters. JJ was behind the wheel and quickly started the vehicle before cranking the air conditioning up. The vehicle was scalding hot yet again after soaking up the sun's rays for most of the afternoon, and despite the clock just approaching 5:30 that evening, the heat still did not seem to be letting up.

"The hospital's only about a twenty minute drive." Reid said, as JJ pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road that travelled past the police station.

"Good!" JJ replied back, wiping sweat off her forehead, "Because the air conditioning doesn't seem to be doing anything in here!"

JJ was right. If anything, the interior of the vehicle was getting warmer. Reid opened his window to at least allow a breeze in through the SUV.

After slogging their way through traffic for about five minutes, the SUV finally approached an interchange leading them to the freeway and, eventually, the hospital.

"I don't know how anybody puts up with the traffic here." JJ lamented to Reid, who was still fiddling with the air conditioning controls in the vehicle.

"It wouldn't be so bad if we could at least get the temperature under control." Reid replied, beginning to get annoyed with the faulty air conditioning.

"Whoa, Spence…" JJ exclaimed, pointing to the temperature gauge in the SUV. Reid looked up at the small gauge on the dashboard and the two could see the needle sharply rising towards redline. A burning smell began to enter the vehicle, and the two could see steam beginning to billow out from under the hood.

"JJ, the engine's overheating!" Reid said urgently, "Pull over and turn it off!"

"Hang on.." JJ replied, as she turned the vehicle's four-way flashers on before quickly pulling into the right-most shoulder of the road and bringing the vehicle to a stop. She quickly turned off the engine, as steam continued to swell out from underneath the vehicle's hood. The two looked at each other, relieved.

"I don't believe this!" JJ said, exasperated.

"I'll call Hotch." Reid replied, "He'll be able to send someone here to get us."

Suddenly, the sound of a siren giving a quick whoop could be heard behind the vehicle. Both JJ and Reid looked up into the rear-view mirror to see an ambulance pulling over behind their SUV, its emergency lights flashing as the driver gave another quick chirp of the siren.

The ambulance came to a stop behind the SUV as the passenger's side door opened and a paramedic hopped out of the vehicle, making his way towards the SUV. Reid opened his door and stepped outside into the heat of the day as the paramedic came closer.

"Looks like you two might need a hand!" the paramedic called out as he approached the two agents. "I saw some smoke coming from your hood right before you pulled over and wanted to make sure everyone was all right."

JJ also emerged from the vehicle and made her way over to Reid.

"We're fine," Reid started, "But I think the SUV's toast."

"It wasn't looking too good, that's for sure!" the paramedic replied back. "Hey, if you guys are interested, you're more than welcome to hitch a ride with us. Where are you two headed?"

JJ laughed as she looked at the paramedic.

"Probably the same place you are!" she replied with a smile. "The hospital." JJ produced her badge and quickly showed it to the paramedic. "We're actually federal agents trying to get over there to interview a patient."

"No kidding!" the paramedic replied back, as he held a hand over his eyes to shield them from the glare of the sun. "We're off duty just making our way back there now, so feel free to hop into the back and we'll give you a lift. We've got a few seats back there for the EMTs that you can make yourselves comfortable in."

JJ and Reid glanced at each other. They might as well hitch a ride so that they could get to the hospital and interview the victim while the details of what happened were still fresh in his mind.

"Sure," JJ replied, as the paramedic gestured for the two to follow him to the back. "Thank you so much for the offer!"

"It's no problem." The paramedic replied, leading the two to the back of the ambulance. He reached for a handle on the back of the doors, and swung one open before reaching for the other. "Anything to help a fellow first responder, right?"

The interior lights of the ambulance turned on automatically as the doors were opened. Sure enough there were two vacant seats for the agents to sit in for the remainder of the drive. Reid climbed into the back of the ambulance, when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.

"Reid, don't!" he heard JJ cry out, but it was too late. Reid tried to turn around when he felt himself being pushed into the side of the ambulance, his head hitting the wall at the opposite end of the ambulance doors. He felt something sharp stab his neck, followed by a cold sensation traveling from his neck throughout his body. He tried desperately to reach for his gun, but felt his limbs going limp and his vision starting to blur. Suddenly he felt himself being released as he collapsed to the floor, the blurry image of JJ lying beside him as a figure of somebody standing over top of her calmly stepped out of the way and sat down in one of the seats next to her. Reid desperately tried to keep his eyes open, the cold sensation now making its way throughout his entire body making it nearly impossible to maintain consciousness. He saw a figure approaching from outside the ambulance, closing one door followed by the next, sealing them off from the outside world. He felt his eyes closing and his body going numb. Then, there was nothing but darkness.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	6. Chapter 6

It was nearly six o'clock in the evening, and the BAU were still going hard at the case inside the bleak briefing room. The Los Angeles Police Department's Headquarters was now much quieter than before, as many of the administrative workers and other staff had gone home for the day, leaving only the occasional officer who passed by the door to the room.

"This guy had to start somewhere before he committed his first murder six years ago." Callahan said, as she reviewed a document sitting on the table. "Given the degree of precision in this guy's work, he had to have gained his experience elsewhere, maybe committing minor offences prior to that first kill to build his skill and confidence."

"We've already looked into that, though." Rossi said, slightly impatiently. "Garcia did a nationwide search ten years prior to the first Infinity Killer murder, and found nothing that matched his signature or routine."

"She couldn't find anything related to the Infinity Symbol." Hotch began, "And although there are a few unsolved stabbing cases, they were all noticeably different than how the Infinity Killer operates."

"That's what so frustrating about this." Callahan protested, digging through a stack of papers before producing a document and showing the team. "This guy shows up out of the blue and does everything right. There wasn't any hesitation or any errors. It's like this guy had perfected his craft for years."

Callahan took a quick look at the page before pointing to something on the front.

"And look at this!" Callahan said, as Morgan approached and took the paper from her hands. "I've come across more than one instance where the police reports have identified entire security systems in the victim's homes being disabled before the approximate time of the homeowner's murder. Someone explain to me how this guy shows up one day and manages to evade forensic detection, hack security systems, and now dig up dirt on our team like it's a no brainer."

"Either this guy is the king of a Jack of all trades," Rossi began, "Or he's got help."

"It would explain how he's been able to pull off so many different aspects of these crimes with such a high degree of precision." Morgan replied. "He's got various accomplices working for him that each help him stay under the radar."

"I don't know…" Callahan began. "I find it unlikely that this one guy has a whole demented clique working for him. The logistics of keeping everyone quiet for so long would start to become tricky, even for the Infinity Killer."

"This guy's sending us around in circles." Rossi began. "He's intentionally presented himself as outrageously complex in the hopes that he becomes 'un profile-able'. We've got to stop trying to look at this all at once and break this down into key pieces that we do know."

Rossi stood up from the table and made his way to one of the whiteboards in the room. He picked up a marker, and began to write on the board.

"Let's start with the basics." He announced. "He's forensically skilled."

Rossi scrawled 'No Evidence' on the board.

"He's mobile." Morgan added. "He seems to have the freedom to go anywhere he chooses whenever he wants."

"Mobile…" Rossi replied, as he wrote it on the board. "What else?"

"He's somehow been able to uncover tightly guarded information about our team." Hotch replied.

"This could mean he's technically skilled." Callahan included. "He's been able to disable security systems, so what's preventing him from hacking into police files to get information?"

"So we have a forensically skilled unsub with lots of travel time on his hands," Morgan began, "Who can dig up dirt and might also be proficient with technology."

"We have one other thing." Rossi said, as he wrote on the board. "For some reason he's drastically changed his pattern, and now has fifteen million bucks at his disposal."

Rossi finished writing 'Money' on the board before tossing the marker onto a nearby table.

"Somehow all these things connect." He said. "We find a connection between all these different things, and we find our unsub."

"I'm going to call Garcia." Hotch said. "The forensic proficiency and ability to access this team's files could mean this guy is working with the police. I'll find out if any officers have ever requested access to federal files, or were absent from duty during the time this guy was travelling around the state."

Just as Hotch was pulling out his phone, it began to ring. Hotch glanced down at the display. It was Garcia.

"Garcia," Hotch started, as he held the phone to his ear. "I was just about to call you."

"As was I!" Garcia replied back. "But I guess you already know that, since I did call you, and now we're on the phone together-"

"Garcia." Hotch interrupted impatiently.

"Yes! Sorry." Garcia replied back. "I found something weird when I was going through the victim reports made up by the LAPD that you received, that I thought you'd probably want to hear about."

Hotch glanced at the team before tapping the screen of the phone and holding it in front of him.

"You're on speaker Garcia." Hotch said, "What did you find?"

"Well, it turns out the FBI field office in Los Angeles requested access to the reports before they were given to you guys," Garcia began, "Which is already weird as they don't usually do that, but the weirdness factor increased. I managed to get my hands on both the initial report made by the LAPD with the victim information and compared it to the one after it made its way through the FBI field office."

"Were they different?" Morgan called out into the phone.

"Oh yeah." Garcia replied back. "The report after it made its way through the FBI listed the profession of the second victim found this week as a transit operator for the Los Angeles Metro."

"I remember reading that." Rossi replied. "We couldn't find any connections between the professions of any of the victims."

"Well, prepare for connections galore." Garcia chirped back, "The report made by the LAPD before the FBI got its grubby little hands on it listed the second victim as an LAPD officer. I checked the guy out for myself, and the original report was right. He was with the force for seven years."

"Were any of the other victims police officers?" Hotch called into the phone.

"No," Garcia replied, "But the third victim was the neighbor of a current officer with the LAPD."

"Which officer?" Rossi asked.

"37 year old Bryan James." Garcia replied. "I'm doing a background check on him now, and I'll call you back as soon as I find anything!"

"Thank you Garcia." Hotch said as he put the phone down.

"Why the hell would the FBI field office here hide the fact one of the victims was a cop?" Morgan asked angrily.

"This changes everything." Callahan replied.

"This guy isn't a cop gone bad." Rossi said incredulously, looking at the whiteboard. "At a first glance it may have made sense, but think about it… This guy is a narcissistic control freak with a God complex. There's no way he would put up with working as a cop for this long. Police officers have entire ranks of officials above them telling them what to do all day. This guy wouldn't put up with that. He needs to be the one making the rules!"

"This kind of unsub would flourish in a high-level position." Callahan said. "Something that gives him power and control. Something bigger than just an officer."

"This guy knew we had arrived to assist with the investigation." Rossi exclaimed. "He got access to classified files on our team, and now the victim reports have been altered after passing through the FBI."

The team looked at each other, the same conclusion brewing in everyone's mind.

"We're not looking for somebody who's gone rogue in the police force." Rossi exclaimed.

"We're looking for someone in the FBI."

* * *

The ambulance sped down a rough, cracked road, leaving a light trail of dust behind it. The vehicle had been driving for just under a half an hour but had already left the city limits of Los Angeles far behind, the scenery beginning to become barren and dry in stark contrast to the lush foliage found back in the city.

The vehicle continued down the road, before it began to slow down and pull over to the right of the deserted street. The road was without a paved shoulder, so the wheels of the ambulance transferred from the pavement to the gritty, dry ground, sending a flurry of dust into the air as the ambulance pulled over and eventually came to a stop.

Two vehicles sat parked just off the road ahead of the ambulance, and they watched as the large vehicle steadily approached. One was a white SUV accompanied by a large, old model Lincoln Towncar. The towncar had entirely tinted windows and was painted an off shade of tan, making it nearly blend into the dry, lifeless surroundings. The road the vehicles were on seemed to travel straight into the desert east of Los Angeles, and the city was now a mere blur in the haze of the day. As the ambulance came to a halt, the two rear doors of the SUV opened simultaneously, as two large men exited the vehicle and began making their way towards the ambulance. Each wore dark pants and a black T-shirt and were of an incredibly imposing size. The passenger's door of the Ambulance creaked opened as the paramedic emerged from the vehicle. The driver shut off the engine, plunging the road into a ghostly silence, except for a light wind that could be heard whistling past.

"We have them in the back." The paramedic said to the two men as they approached. Then men continued past the paramedic without uttering a word as they made their way to the rear of the ambulance.

One of the men reached for the handle on the back of the rear doors, swinging them open. The paramedic had now joined the men at the rear as they peered inside the vehicle, satisfied.

One of the men reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, yet very full envelope. It had obviously been stuffed with a good amount of money. The man handed the envelope to the paramedic who gave a quick nod, before taking the envelope and making his way back to the front of the ambulance.

The lifeless bodies of JJ and Reid lay motionless in the rear of the vehicle, as the two men each climbed inside and effortlessly picked up the agents. The men, now carrying the agents like rag dolls in their arms exited the ambulance, before nudging the rear doors closed with their shoulders. They made their way back to the front of the vehicle as the driver now emerged, tossing the keys to the paramedic who was standing by the front of the engine.

"Thank you, Austin." The driver of the ambulance said to the paramedic as he began to follow the two men back to their vehicles. The paramedic nodded before climbing into the driver's seat and quickly firing the engine back up. The ambulance made a quick U-Turn before tearing away back in the direction that it had come, leaving the two vehicles behind.

As the men and the driver made their way to the two waiting vehicles, they watched as the tinted rear window of the Towncar suddenly rolled halfway down, as a man sitting in the back leaned slightly out.

"Search each of them." The man instructed calmly, "And then put one into each vehicle. Once they're all clear we can be on our way."

The window rolled up again as the two men gently placed JJ and Reid onto the barren ground, beginning to search each agent as they systematically removed their gun and holster, badges, and cleared their pockets.

"Belts too." The driver of the ambulance instructed. "Their shoes can stay."

The two men unfastened Reid and JJ's belts from around their waists before tossing them into the back seat of the SUV. The driver of the ambulance crouched down before thoroughly patting both agents down, ensuring there was nothing remaining on them but their clothing. Once satisfied, he nodded in approval to the two men. He began to make his way to the front of the Lincoln Towncar where he climbed into the driver's seat as Reid and JJ were placed, one in each vehicle, by the two men.

The men both climbed into the SUV and closed the doors behind them, just as the towncar roared to life and pulled away, followed closely by the SUV. The two vehicles turned back onto the road and accelerated away, ever further into the increasingly barren desert landscape. The city of Los Angeles soon became nothing more than a mere speck in the dusty mirrors of each vehicle as they drove further into the desolate abyss.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	7. Chapter 7

"Thank you Garcia." Hotch's voice echoed throughout the briefing room, as he lowered his phone from his ear and placed it into his pocket. He briefly glanced at the screen before it went dark. It was just after 6:30 in the evening.

"What could she find out about the second and third victims?" Callahan asked urgently.

"Garcia did a background check on both officers," Hotch announced, "Both the officer who was killed, and the officer who's neighbor was murdered."

"Let me guess," Rossi began, "We're not going to like what she found."

"The officer who was murdered was 29 years old," Hotch started, "And was with the force for seven years."

"He must have started straight out of college." Callahan replied.

"Garcia was able to retrieve both his medical exam reports and the results from drug spot-checks held in the LAPD," Hotch continued. "Everything came back clean, but Garcia noticed that the blood type on the medical exam didn't match a secondary medical document she was able to obtain."

"So which document had the right blood type?" Morgan asked.

"Not the medical exam." Hotch replied. "Garcia searched the LAPDs entire database and discovered the medical report for the murdered officer was identical to another officer's medical exam. The report was exactly the same. The only thing that was changed on the document was the name of the officer."

"Wait, so the officer that was murdered had an identical medical exam report as another officer?" Morgan asked.

"Three guesses at to which officer it was." Rossi said.

"Bryan James." Callahan included, "The officer who's neighbor was murdered."

"Exactly." Hotch replied.

"So whatever was on that guy's medical exam and drug tests," Morgan started, "Had to have been bad enough to need covering up with a clean medical exam."

"It's got to be drug use." Rossi mentioned. "If anybody found out he was using, he would be dismissed from his duties immediately."

"What about the other officer?" Callahan questioned. "Other than the fact his medical reports were being used as a cover up, what could Garcia find out about him?"

"She did a full background search on him," Hotch started, "And discovered that several police reports pertaining to him were mysteriously deleted. She was able to uncover a few, and the information on the reports was sketchy at best."

"It sounds like this guy has a few things on his record he doesn't want anybody knowing about." Rossi replied. "I think it's time we have a little chat with this officer."

"He didn't report for duty today." Hotch said, looking at the team. "Chief Hunt is currently trying to locate him."

Suddenly, Hotch's phone began to ring yet again. He fished it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. He recognized the number from when the hospital called just over an hour ago.

"It's the hospital." Hotch said to the team, before bringing the phone to his ear.

"This is SSA Hotchner."

There was a brief pause.

"What?" he asked into the phone. The team glanced around at each other.

"And nobody came to question him?" Hotch asked.

There was another brief pause.

"Okay. Thank you for letting me know."

Hotch lowered the phone from his ear and looked at the team.

"That was the hospital." Hotch said, a perplexed tone to his voice. "The victim we found in the factory, Robert Warrener… The hospital staff said he just died."

"What?" Morgan asked incredulously.

"Why didn't Reid and JJ call us?" Callahan asked, looking at her watch. "They must have arrived at the hospital. They've been gone for over an hour now."

"The hospital said nobody ever arrived to question Mr. Warrener before he entered cardiac arrest about 15 minutes ago." Hotch replied to the team.

"So if they're not at the Hospital," Rossi began, "Then where the hell are they?"

"Call each of their phones, now." Hotch demanded, as he picked up his own cell.

Morgan and Rossi each pulled out their cell phones and frantically dialed the number for both Reid and JJ.

"JJ's is going straight to voicemail!" Rossi exclaimed.

"Reid's too." Morgan said angrily.

"Try again." Hotch barked, as he held his own phone to his ear.

"Garcia!" Hotch called into the speaker, "I need you to trace the GPS on Reid and JJ's SUV, now."

Morgan and Rossi put their phones down in frustration after receiving no response, yet again.

"We can't get a hold of them." Morgan said, panicked.

"I have Garcia tracing their GPS." Hotch said, as he held the phone in front of him, tapping the phone to enter speaker mode.

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Garcia's voice rang out from Hotch's phone.

"We can't contact JJ or Reid." Callahan exclaimed. "They were supposed to go to the hospital to interview a victim, but never arrived."

"Oh…" Garcia cried from the phone, "Oh my God…"

"Garcia, track their SUV, now." Hotch ordered. The sound of typing could be heard coming frantically through the speaker.

"Yes… Yes… Okay…" Garcia said, panicked. "I'm almost there…. Just give me a… Okay! I found it! The SUV's GPS indicates they're about 10 minutes away from you. It looks like they're stopped beside a freeway, and the GPS location has been sent to each of your phones."

"Thank you Garcia!" Hotch said into the phone, before quickly putting it back into his pocket.

Morgan had pulled out his cell and turned it around to show the team. A map was on the screen with a small red dot where, presumably, the SUV's location was.

"I've got the location!" Morgan cried.

"We're going there now." Hotch instructed. "Everyone, let's go!"

The team rushed frantically out of the room.

* * *

It was just after nine o'clock in the evening and the sun had almost entirely gone down, cloaking the barren desert landscape in a haunting darkness.

The SUV and the Towncar had been driving along a desolate dirt road for the past half an hour, as they steadily approached a small structure tucked away in the darkness of the desert.

As the vehicles approached, the headlights of the Towncar began gradually illuminating the structure. It looked odd, a man-made building in the middle of such barren lifelessness. The building was dilapidated, and in the moonlight you could still make out its weathered wooden construction, as the two vehicles pulled in front of the shack-like structure before coming to a halt.

The back doors of the SUV opened as the two large men emerged from the vehicle, their dark attire nearly making them disappear into the night. The rear window of the Towncar rolled down again, as the front door opened and the driver emerged.

"Give them one more shot each." The man said calmly from the back seat, as he handed a small pouch to the driver. "We don't want them to wake overnight."

One of the large men had approached the opposite side of the Towncar and opened the door, pulling Reid's still unconscious body from the back seat. The driver approached the two as he produced a hypodermic needle from the pouch. He held the needle up to the moonlight and gently pushed the trigger as he gave it a few quick taps, eliminating any bubbles, before he crouched beside Reid and injected its contents into his forearm.

The other man had already extracted JJ's body from the back of the SUV and held her still while the driver approached them with a second needle, repeating the injection.

"Take them inside and stay with them for the night." The voice called out from the rear window of the Towncar. The two men nodded and each picked up one of the lifeless agents, carrying them to the rear of the shack.

"We'll return in the morning." The man from the back of the car continued, "And everything will all fall into place."

The driver returned to the front seat of the vehicle, as both the Towncar and the SUV roared to life again.

"It's only a short while longer." The man said from the back seat as he rolled his window closed.

The Towncar pulled forward before sharply turning around, leading them and the SUV away from the structure and into the ever menacing darkness.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thank you to everybody who has been following this story so far. I'm glad you've all been enjoying it! Please enjoy chapter 8...**_

A sudden, icy blow jolted the agents awake. Reid and JJ gasped as they suddenly awoke, a frigid sensation clawing through their skin as they struggled to make sense of what was going on after opening their eyes for the first time in hours. They both felt their clothing was soaking wet as they made out the blurry imagine of somebody leaving a small room. A bucket was dangling from their hands dripping icy water on the floor as they exited through the door, closing it behind them as they left.

"Spence…" JJ whispered.

"JJ…" Reid shakily replied. "What happened?"

Both the agent's heads were pounding and their vision was blurred. JJ struggled to remember what had in fact happened, as she desperately tried to focus her eyes on their surroundings.

"We were going to interview…" JJ started, before pausing. It was starting to come back to her now. "Spence, the SUV broke down, remember…"

JJ tried to rub her eyes when she felt something tugging at her hands, making it impossible to lift her arms. She glanced down, her vision slowly returning to normal and saw something shiny around her wrists. Handcuffs.

Reid turned to his right and saw JJ sitting next to him, strapped securely to a wooden chair in the middle of a small, musty room. Thick rope was wrapped around each of JJ's legs, tying them to the legs of the chair, and her hands were shackled to something from underneath. Reid glanced down, discovering he was in the same predicament. Their hands were secured with handcuffs, and a short, thick chain was bolted to the middle of the handcuff connector, the other end secured tightly underneath the wooden chair.

"JJ…" Reid began, "Are you okay?"

JJ's vision had now almost returned back to normal as she looked at Reid. Neither appeared to be visibly injured.

"I'm fine, Spence." JJ replied, pulling at her handcuffs.

"The ambulance…" Reid murmured. Both of them were slowly remembering what had happened. JJ had pulled their SUV to the side of the road after smoke started coming from the engine, and an ambulance had offered them a ride to the hospital for their interview. JJ remembered being attacked from behind while she was getting into the ambulance and a needle being thrust into her neck. After that, it was all a blur.

"Are you hurt?" JJ asked Reid, who was slowly coming to.

"I don't think so." Reid replied. He looked down at the ground and saw that each leg of the chair had been nailed down to the floor, making it impossible for the chairs to be moved.

"Where are we?" He asked.

Both the agents looked around. They were in some sort of dilapidated wooden shack. The building wasn't large, and its roof was only about seven or eight feet off the ground. The walls were made of vertical pieces of wood, and decrepit planks composed the floor. The wood was riddled in small cracks and gaps which let sunlight in through the sides, drawing streak-like patterns on the filthy floor with the sun's rays. There was a small door at the end of the almost perfectly square shack with a table located to the left of it, while an indentation to the right of the door created a small storage area in the wall. A rusted shovel lay in the dusty area along with some broken bottles and various decaying objects. The shack was bright, thanks to the sun entering from the numerous cracks in the lumber, and the entirely wooden structure had a brownish-orange tint to it as the sunlight peered in.

Suddenly, the agents could hear the sound of footsteps approaching from outside. They glanced at each other, terrified, as the footsteps approached closer. Neither agent could escape their bindings, and they sat helplessly as the footsteps approached the door before coming to a stop. The doorknob turned and the door slowly swung open with an eerie creak. They heard whomever entering begin to chuckle, as a figure entered the room before closing the door behind him and facing the agents.

"Well, well, well…" The person said, laughing to himself. "Look what the cat dragged in."

The individual's face was hidden behind a ghostly white mask and he wore a long sleeved red shirt underneath a blue sport coat with a pair of dark khaki pants and polished black shoes. The man walked closer to the two agents.

"You know, you guys really ought to be ashamed." The man said as he began to walk in a slow circle around and behind the agents. "I really thought federal agents wouldn't have fallen so easily into such a simple trap."

The man rested a hand on Reid's shoulder, causing him to jump as the man dragged his hand across Reid's back, shivers traveling up his spine.

"Your job is to protect other people," the man continued with a sickeningly humorous tone, "Yet you don't even know how to protect yourselves… Now how ironic is that?"

The man grazed JJ's shoulder, as she jerked away from his touch, leaning as far forward in the chair as her restraints would allow.

"Get your hands off of me, you bastard." JJ snarled. The man calmly reached forward, grabbing JJ's hair and pulling her back into the chair as she gave out a quick yelp.

"Don't accept rides with strangers." The man said mockingly as he released JJ's hair and patted her shoulder, walking back around the agents. "I guess they don't teach you that at the FBI academy…"

The man walked back around, facing the two.

"Tell me, agents…" the man said, as he crouched down to face Reid. "Do you know who I am?"

"I know you're making a mistake…" Reid said, his voice cracking as the man stared at him through the mask. "Please… You're making a mistake by doing this."

"You really don't know?" The man replied back in a taunting tone, standing back up again.

"We know exactly who you are." JJ growled at the man, "But we're not going to play games with a coward who's too afraid to even show his face."

"Oh, Jennifer." The man replied, staring at JJ through the mask. He slowly brought his hands up to the mask and turned around, his back now facing the agents. The two watched as he pulled the white mask from his face and tossed it onto the table by the door.

"Is that better?" the man asked, his back still to the agents. He laughed and slowly turned around, before staring at Reid and JJ, a cold smile on his face.

"I'm the Infinity Killer."

The man was young, likely no older than his mid-thirties. He had a gentle looking face but cold, brown eyes that seemed to stare right through your body. His wavy blonde hair was brushed to one side in a neat quiff, and he held a sickening smile on his face that raised the hairs on the back of your neck. The man was tall and had a slight build, similar to Reid except not as lanky. He almost looked like he stepped off the greens of an exclusive polo club, and there was a preppy arrogance to him that radiated from his every motion. It was almost impossible to equate the young man standing before them with the horrific string of crimes he was claiming to have left behind.

"I'm him." The man said again after a brief pause, with a chuckle. "That's all, folks. The mystery's over." The man spoke with a soft, higher voice. Not a menacing voice, but a voice that seemed insincere and given the circumstances, terrifying. He spoke with a cavalier, almost playful tone as his eyes danced from each agent to the other as he continued to smile.

"You're the Infinity Killer?…" Reid asked, surprised.

The man chucked and looked at him.

"Please, don't seem so surprised." The man replied back.

"How are we supposed to believe you?" JJ snapped at him. The man smiled and looked at JJ.

"Jennifer," he began, "Don't make this difficult."

"I'm not the one making things difficult, here." JJ coldly replied to the man.

"Look, I'm sorry if you're disappointed." The man said, as he began pacing the room. "What? You thought I was going to have scaly skin with fangs and red eyes?"

The man laughed as he looked at the two.

"Agents, it doesn't work that way. Look, just because I'm the Infinity Killer doesn't mean I'm a devil. It doesn't make me a monster. I'm just a fellow citizen. A regular person just like you."

"You are nothing like us." JJ hissed at the man. "You _are_ a devil. And you _are_ a monster. You murder innocent people for some sort of sick pleasure, without any concern for the lives you ruin in the process."

"So you _do_ believe that I'm the Infinity Killer." the man said to JJ. "Well, at least we can agree on one thing."

"I believe that you're a delusional sociopath." JJ growled at the man.

The man stopped pacing the room, and looked at JJ, a pained smile on his face.

"You want proof?" he replied, "Is that what you want?"

JJ stared at the man.

"I drilled a hole in your radiator." The man began, proudly. "It's really basic automotive knowledge. You fire the car up with a leaky radiator, and eventually that sucker's going to overheat and shut down. It was trivial. Two federal agents like sitting ducks. Hilarious, really."

The man began pacing the room again, the tone of his voice now changing to a more authoritative haughtiness.

"I have acquaintances." The man continued. "Many of them. And you know the great part about having one who's a paramedic? Hmm? They can give you great stuff like sedatives. And ambulances, let's not forget that part. And after I knocked the two of you out, I sent him back to the hospital to do one last thing for me."

The man stopped pacing and leaned against one of the walls in the shack.

"You know, paramedics are very smart people." The man said with a grin. "They know just the right amount of different medications to deliver to a person to stop their heart without anything appearing on a toxicology screen."

Reid and JJ glanced at each other.

"Really, you should be thanking him for giving me just enough sedative to knock the both of you out for so long without killing you."

The man turned and faced the agents.

"You're welcome."

"That's why you needed the money…" JJ said. "That's why you extorted fifteen million from Robert Warrener. So you could pay off the paramedic and anyone else you've managed to manipulate into working for you."

"Very good, Jennifer." The man replied back, clapping slowly. He began slowly pacing again.

"I was never concerned about leaving poor old Mr. Warrener alive for your team to find." The man continued, "Because I knew after my paramedic was done with you two, he would make a brief pit stop to Warrener's hospital room once he returned to the city. Of course, it would just be a tragic coincidence that Mr. Warrener would go into cardiac arrest shortly thereafter, but, you know… Accidents happen."

Reid glanced at JJ. Neither agent knew that Robert Warrener had died, or more accurately, had been murdered in the hospital.

"Oh, that's right." The man said, walking back towards the agents. "You didn't know Warrener kicked the bucket. Now, how would anyone other than the Infinity Killer somehow know all of that?"

Reid and JJ remained silent as the man approached JJ and leaned in close.

"Believe me now, agent?"

"What do you want from us?" JJ replied to the man. He laughed.

"Not so snippy now, are we?" the man said, tauntingly.

"Please…" Reid said quietly. "If you let us call our team, we can negotiate. Whatever you want… We can make it work, please, you don't have to do this."

The main briefly paused, and coldly stared at Reid, the tone of his voice drastically changing.

"Give me another five million and a plane to Thailand, and you're free to go." The man said. Reid and JJ glanced at each other before the man began laughing.

"I'm kidding!" the man said, giving Reid's knee a playful slap. "Jeez, you shouldn't take everything so seriously..."

"What the hell do you want?" JJ angrily shouted at the man. "We're _not_ going to play games with you!"

"Well," the man said, "I'm afraid that's out of your hands now."

The man began pacing across the room once again.

"The truth is," the man began, "I just want to talk. I do have something lined up in the near future, but for now, let's just talk. After all, it's not every day you come face to face with somebody like me."

"That's where you're wrong." JJ snarled at the man. "You're nothing different. We come face to face with people like you every day."

The man rolled his eyes and turned away from JJ.

"You think you're something great? Someone special?" JJ asked through gritted teeth, "You are nothing. You are nothing but a narcissistic, deranged coward who manipulates lives and kills innocent people to make up for your own self-loathing and inadequacies."

The man glared at JJ.

"You know what your problem is, Jenny?" the man said, as he began walking towards her. "This entire time I have been polite towards you… Yet completely unprovoked, you've been nothing but insolent and judgemental."

The man opened his sport coat to reveal a handgun stuffed in his belt, along with some sort of black baton in a holster on his hip. He pulled the object out and flicked a small latch on the side. It telescoped outwards, now about two feet long. The man pressed a small button on the object, and electricity jolted between two contacts on the end with a sickening crackling sound.

"You profilers think you can just go around, lording over everyone, don't you?" The man said coldly as he approached JJ with the electric baton. "You disguise rudeness, and insults as psychological profiling… You call me narcissistic. Manipulative. A 'deranged coward'; now that's a good one. But let's get one thing clear."

The man pressed a button on the baton as the sparks arced from the end of the device. JJ shuddered and leaned back in the chair, away from the prod.

"I am something special." The man growled. "I am something great. I have killed 46 people, 50 when you include the three this week along with poor Mr. Warrener. I have managed to evade capture for almost six years. I have made a mockery out of the efforts of entire police forces, detectives, and now the FBI."

The man was now beginning to raise his voice.

"I have dozens of people who will risk life and death for me. I have two federal agents, sitting here helplessly right in front of me… And… You know the best part of it all? Nobody even knows who I am. Now, you want to call me narcissistic? Go ahead. I guess you're not wrong. And manipulative? Well, I might as well own that, too. But don't for one moment do you dare think that I'm nothing special."

The man sparked the baton in front of JJ again, causing her to jump. The man slowly lowered the device, seemingly regaining his composure. He collapsed the baton, returning it to its small holster strapped to the man's belt.

"Look, Jennifer…" the man continued, back in his eerily calm tone. "I don't want to have to hurt you. But if you keep up with this annoying 'tough cop' attitude, I'm going to have no choice."

"You said you just wanted to talk." Reid interrupted, desperately trying to change the subject. The man looked over at Reid.

"Well, I'm sure you have a few questions for me, right?" The man said. "I'm in no rush."

"Only one." Reid replied back. "Why?"

The man chuckled and stared at Reid.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that." The man said.

"Why?" Reid replied. "Why do you do it?"

The man smiled and looked down at the floor, giving a heavy sigh.

"Well, Spencer…" the man said slowly. "Now that's a great question. A big question. And sometimes big questions can't easily be answered."

"If you can't tell me why," Reid interjected, "Then at least tell me how."

"Oh, the 'how' is the easy part." The man replied. "You see, I'm very good at finding people, Spencer."

"What kind of people?" Reid replied back nervously.

"Good people who you use, and manipulate." JJ said.

"Not good people." The man replied back. "I don't drag good people into this."

The man paused and sighed yet again, looking at the agents incredulously.

"Let me ask you something." The man began, "Do you honestly think that the only bad people in this world are the ones who come across your desk at the FBI? The people who you deem criminals?"

JJ and Reid remained silent.

"Well, they're not." The man said. "No, they're only the tip of the iceberg. The small portion of bad people that you see on the surface, while an entire plethora hides underneath. You think that you're safe with the police, with the FBI even? You're wrong."

"What are you talking about?" JJ barked at the man.

"Do you know the level of corruption," the man started "In your precious organizations? There are countless corrupt cops in this city. Corrupt medical professionals, corrupt politicians. Even corruption in the FBI."

The man stared at JJ.

"These are the people I 'use' and 'manipuate', as you call it." The man hissed. "Not good people, Jennifer. Not good people at all. Now, I only have a select few of these individuals I control, but believe me. It's enough. I've got about five or six cops, one contact in the FBI. A doctor here and there, and a few local deputies. I get by."

"The reason there's corruption," JJ began "Is because of people like you."

"I'm afraid you're wrong again, Jen." The man replied back tauntingly. "You see, I'm just a young pup in all of this. The world was already corrupted far before I entered it. I'm simply utilizing a pre-designed system. It's nothing that I've created. I can't take any responsibility for it. I'm simply moving chess pieces on a board that's already been laid out for me."

"You think this is all a game?" JJ asked the man.

"Life_ is_ a game." The man replied. "Anyone who thinks otherwise is just ignorant. There are ways to play that let you win, and others that let you lose. Strategies. It's a game of skill, rather than chance Jennifer, which is why I've dominated the game board for so long."

"So you're part of some sort of secret society?" Reid questioned.

"What-, no…" the man said laughing. "There's no secret society. I mean… Really? You think we all get together on Friday nights and practice a secret handshake? Draw pictures of infinity symbols and put them up in a clubhouse while we hand out custom T-Shirts? Please. I never wanted anything like that. It's nothing as formal. I just have a little group of friends that do what I ask, and in return I give them a bit of a reward."

"So you use these people…" Reid began, "You keep quiet about who they really are and pay them off to help you cover up your crimes. That's how you've gotten away with this for so long, because you have people in positions of power that help ensure you don't get caught."

"Everyone has a price." The man said. "And nine times out of ten, I can pay it. It's really amazing what you can get people to do for a few bucks."

"So it's all about the money for you." JJ replied. "You abuse wealth. You use money to turn people against their own morals. You've let money transform you into a monster."

"Oh, don't get me wrong." The man said with a smile. "I've never let money be my master. It's just been a very good servant. But even after all of this, there's still one piece missing."

The man leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

"There's a reason I brought you here." The man continued, glancing at Reid. "You in particular, Spencer. You see, you could have all the money in the world and half a million people working for you, but at the end of the day, it would be worthless without the right person running the show."

"And you've appointed yourself that right person?" JJ hissed.

"Think about it Jennifer." The man said, "I've struck nearly every major city in California. You don't honestly think I pack up a bus with all my little helpers and we go on weekend killing sprees do you? No, apart from one or two times where I appreciate the help, I'm still mostly a solo act."

The man began to slowly approach Reid.

"You know Spencer," the man began, "The two of us are actually quite alike."

"I help people." Reid said to the man, "And you hurt them. So I can't see how the two of us could ever be alike."

"It's the piece of the puzzle nobody's considered yet." The man said with a smile to the agents. "The one thing that's let me do this as well as I have. And you have it too."

The man stopped and laughed as he shrugged his shoulders, pausing for a few seconds before turning and staring at Reid.

"I'm also a genius."

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	9. Chapter 9

Reid stared blankly at the man standing in front of him. The shack had now become silent, as the man looked intently back at Reid.

"I'm a genius, Spencer." The man replied.

"Maybe in your own mind," JJ interrupted, "But no genius would ever devote their life to doing what you do."

"I realize you're upset that your intelligence is simply laughable in comparison to ours." The man said to JJ, "But I'm telling you the truth."

The man smiled and fiddled with the cuffs on his shirt.

"I have an IQ of 181." He said matter-of-factly.

"187." Reid replied back briskly, referencing his own IQ.

"Oh, I know." The man said to Reid. "Congratulations. In fact, I know very much about you. I've been interested in you for some time."

The man began to pace once again in the small shack.

"We're quite similar, Spencer." The man continued. "Like you, I graduated High School at a young age. I know you have an eidetic memory, which is extraordinary. Statistically, very few adults possess such a thing. Not even I. Mine is far better than the average, which goes without saying, but I suppose I can't quite compare to yours."

"Why are you telling me this?" Reid questioned quietly.

"You know why I'm telling you this, Spencer." The man replied. "You know how frustrating it is to have to tolerate inferior minds, day in and day out. You long for someone who can challenge you. Perhaps not even challenge, but just stimulate you. You crave a mind as able as your own."

"Sometimes…" Reid began, "Sometimes it's not just about intelligence…"

"Spencer, I'm a smart guy." The man replied. "Don't lie to me. I know how you feel. I know how you feel, because I'm right there with you."

The man approached Reid closer.

"Look, I know you don't want to hurt blondie's feelings," the man said, gesturing towards JJ who remained silent, "But we're on a completely different level than Ms. Jareau. She can't even comprehend, Spencer. You don't have to lie anymore. You don't have to be dragged down any longer. We've found each other. We've finally found an equal."

The man stared at Reid before briefly pausing.

"You want to know something?" the man asked. "You want to know how I've been able to leave nothing behind at any crime scene? How I've been able to predict the moves of law enforcement for six years, and get away scot-free every time?"

Reid cautiously looked up and the man and nodded.

"There's one thing my mind can do that yours cannot." The man said slowly to Reid. "I can almost make time stop… I can make time seem to stop around me and just focus entirely on my thoughts. Everything stops except for my mind, and then I can visualize."

Reid and JJ nervously glanced at each other.

"I can visualize everything…" the man continued. "I can form entire scenarios in my mind and walk through them as if I were watching a movie, rewinding and fast-forwarding through different sections over and over again in my head. I can see exactly what's going to happen, because it happens right there in my mind before I even do anything. And it's more than just watching something unfold. I'm there. I'm walking through it, living it. But the best part of all is that I can analyze. I can predict everything. Every possible scenario. I can predict and plan for every 'what if' moment. I can see every possible outcome, the good and the bad, and I can see each sequence of events that leads to each result. It's like an entire computer simulation that takes place in my head. At that point, it's simply a matter of repeating the one sequence that leads to the perfect outcome."

The man paused, glancing at Reid and JJ who sat silently.

"This is how I leave nothing behind at a crime scene." The man boasted, "Because I've already analyzed the entire thing in my mind. I've already been there in my head, and I've already seen every potential instance where I could slip up. When I do it for real, it's simply trivial. It's like following a map that's already been drawn out for me in explicit detail."

"It's impossible to predict every possible outcome." JJ said to the man.

"Not impossible." The man replied. "Just time consuming. I can already foresee how law enforcement is going to respond which makes disappearing after the fact simple. The police get so predictable after a while. Everything is just one big pattern, and fortunately I'm able to see right through it. My mind never turns off. This never stops. That's how I've been able to get away with everything for all these years. Because my mind never falters. It's virtually impossible for me to err."

"Is that why you brought us here?" JJ asked mockingly, "To brag? Is it adulation you've been looking for?"

The man laughed and looked at Reid.

"She doesn't understand, Spencer." The man said. "She can't appreciate true genius. She has no idea."

"It's remarkable." Reid replied. The man looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you, Spencer." He replied softly. "I knew you would understand."

"There's one thing I still don't understand, though." Reid said, as the man stared at him. "You're a genius. You have a brilliant mind that can do anything. Yet you chose to do this? You could have done anything in the world with your intelligence, so why this?"

The man glanced at Reid and sighed.

"I've always been astute." The man replied. "Ever since I was a child I could detect the subtle nuances of things. I could read people, and analyze scenarios… Nothing could hide from me. I saw how the world really worked. There were establishments and institutions than ran everything. They told us how to behave, told us what to do. A strict set of guidelines deemed as acceptable that we were all to follow. Yet nobody was happy. We were all living in a system that claimed to benefit everyone, yet truly helped no one. So one day, I got an idea."

The man looked at Reid and JJ who sat silently.

"I came up with a thought. A theory, if you will." The man said, glancing at Reid. "What if I abandon the system? What if I play against the rules? What if I do the exact opposite of everything the establishments and the institutions want? Would I be happy? Would I come out on top?"

"That's why you've done all this?" JJ snarled at the man. "Because you didn't want to follow the rules?"

The man laughed at JJ.

"Because following the rules has worked out so well for you, Jennifer..." The man jeered. "You've done everything right your entire life, yet look at you now. You don't have anything. You're nothing. You're just a whipped little foot soldier for the government, with a job slowly consuming you. You will always be under someone else's control. But not me."

The man laughed and began pacing the room again.

"Look, I may be a wanted man, but I'm a happy man." The man said proudly. "I'm a rich man. I'm a free man. My theory was right. I've done absolutely everything wrong, yet everything has turned out so very right."

"There is nothing right about anything that you do." JJ hissed. "It may be all about the power and control for you. The money and wealth, but one day it's going to all come crashing down. You think you're invincible, but my team will find you, and then it's all going to be over. You leave that infinity symbol everywhere you go, but you're not going to be able to do this forever. One day, no matter how hard you try, it's all going to come to an end."

The man looked at JJ and laughed.

"Well, of course it's going to come to an end one day!" the man said jeeringly. "I've known that since day one. I'm a genius, Jennifer, not a wizard. I know I can't do this forever."

The man looked over at Reid.

"As I'm sure you know, doctor," the man started, "Infinity is not a number, but rather it's a concept. The same goes for what I've done. I tested a concept, and it worked. This whole thing has been one big concept, not the buildup to some magical number. It just happens to work out very nicely that infinity also relates to endlessness, which really is the perfect thing to leave behind. While my crimes will eventually come to an end, the questions surrounding me never will. The concept, not the number, will always exist."

The shack plunged into a ghostly silence as the man paused before sighing dramatically and laughing.

"Well," he said, "Boy does that feel good to get off my chest. As you can imagine, there aren't too many people that I can relay all that to for obvious reasons."

"You said you brought us here because you wanted to talk." Reid said. "We've talked. What now?"

"Well, there's still one thing I haven't asked you about." The man said, looking at Reid.

"Look, I'm going to cut right to the chase here." He said, glancing around the room. "These past six years have been great. Really. A fun little game of cat and mouse. But I've got to be honest with you. My point's been proven. My theory's right. I've gotten the fame, and I've gotten the money. I've gotten what I came for. At this point, I'm just maintaining an image. Going through the motions."

"What do you mean?" JJ snapped at the man. He sighed and smiled.

"I mean that I've been thinking about calling it quits for a while now." The man replied back, a resigned look on his face. "I've got a long life ahead of me. I've gotten what I wanted. The game's been fun, but I've played pretty much all the moves on the board. Even the best game of chess has to end eventually, right?"

Reid and JJ glanced at each other, taken aback by the unsub's revelation.

"I wish I could stop, but…" the man paused. "I can't. This all started as a hobby. A fun little game, but its turned into an obsession. I've tried to stop, but I can't seem to get it to stick. I can't get it out of my head. The feel of the knife in my hand. The blood. The fear. I crave it now. It's an addiction, and I can't avoid the craving for a fix."

The man looked at Reid, an almost desperate look in his eyes.

"You're the only person that can help me." The man said urgently to Reid. "You're the only person who can tell me how to let it all go."

Reid looked up at the man, resigned.

"I'm not…" Reid whispered, his voice cracking. "I wish I could, but I can't."

"You're going to tell me to go to a doctor?" the man asked. "Visit a shrink? Tell me, Spencer? How can somebody with a mind half as powerful as mine tell me anything? I've searched for a while for somebody that could understand and came up with nothing until I found you. You know what it's like to have the same mind as I. So you know… You're the only one who knows how to let this go."

"I can only tell you what anyone else can." Reid said shakily, "You're sick. You're a psychopath so you can't feel emotions or empathy. The rush from killing is the only thing you feel, which is why you can't stop."

The man stared intently at Reid.

"I wish I could tell you there's an easier way," Reid began, "But mental illness can affect everyone. It's not something that can be defeated simply with a mind possessing a high IQ."

The man slowly looked away from Reid before slowly nodding his head and sighing.

"Okay." The man said after a long pause. "I appreciate your honesty, I really do."

The man walked to the back of the shack, before turning around, looking at both the agents as he flashed a quick smile.

"Well." He began quickly. "That was a nice little chit chat. If you don't have any more questions, we can move on now…"

"Move onto what?" JJ barked at the man.

"Well I'm sure your team is very concerned about your whereabouts." The man said mockingly. "I think it would only be fair if I let them know the two of you are okay… For now."

The man pulled a small flip phone from this pocket. It looked like a disposable cell.

"Let's give Mr. Hotchner a quick call now, shall we?"

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	10. Chapter 10

The team sat defeated in the dark briefing room at the Los Angeles Police Department's Headquarters. They had worked throughout the night, desperate to find JJ and Reid after their disappearance the previous afternoon and even after locating their SUV, they couldn't find any clues as to where the two agents had mysteriously gone.

"Thank you." Hotch said, as he lowered his cell phone from his ear. "That was Chief Hunt. He's put out an APB for both Reid and JJ, so the entire force will be on the lookout."

"Yeah, if the entire force isn't already working with whoever did this." Morgan snapped, referencing the two dirty cops they had uncovered during their investigation.

"If this guy has contacts in the police and could be FBI", Morgan continued, "Then he can make sure Reid and JJ are never found."

"Derek, we have to stay calm." Hotch instructed as Morgan was beginning to raise his voice.

"Hotch is right, Morgan." Rossi said. "He wants us to feel helpless. He's done this to distract us. To knock us off our game."

"Well, it's working." Morgan snapped back. There was an awkward silence in the room.

"I've been thinking about this," Rossi suddenly said. "This whole thing with the cops and the FBI. Does anybody else find it strange that this guy returned to pop off a few dirty cops right after the whole incident with the police force after they shot that Hispanic kid?"

Everyone looked at Rossi.

"Chief Hunt said himself he was initiating an investigation into the force to calm the public's nerves." Rossi said. "What if the Infinity Killer found out about that, and was afraid that the investigation would uncover some of the corrupt officers?"

"That would explain why two of the three victims involved police." Callahan said. The first victim was used to get any dirty cops on the force aware that the Infinity Killer was watching them. The second victim, the police officer, must have just been too big a risk to keep alive."

"They're not going to investigate a dead officer." Rossi replied.

"And the third victim," Hotch began, "The neighbor of a police officer. What if that was used as a warning shot? The Infinity Killer's showing the officer that if he doesn't keep everything under wraps during the investigation, he'll move one house over and kill him as well."

"So whoever this guy is knows a lot of corrupt cops," Rossi continued, "And likely uses the money he extorted from Robert Warrener to bribe them into doing his dirty work."

"And if the Infinity Killer is in the FBI," Morgan started, "That would explain how he can find these cops to blackmail. He would be able to access pretty much every officer's file in the LAPD."

"But that still doesn't explain how he's able to move around the state so much." Hotch said. "We all know the demands an FBI job imposes. The unsub wouldn't be able to travel all over the state like he does."

"Maybe he's not the one in the FBI, then." Rossi said. "If this guy is already paying off dirty cops to help him, what's preventing him from paying off someone in the FBI?"

"That would explain how he can just show up all over California." Callahan said, "He doesn't actually work anywhere. He's just got different contacts in each agency that he bribes for information."

"The guy just got himself fifteen million dollars." Rossi said. "Even after he's paid all his cronies off, that's still enough to live exceedingly comfortably without the need for a job."

"But if the unsub has relied on corrupt officials in law enforcement," Morgan began, "Then he had to have been paying these people off ever since he started six years ago. Why does he suddenly need all that money now?"

"Maybe the guy's always been rich," Callahan said, "But for some reason he ran out of money?"

"Or lost it." Rossi included. "An investment gone bad, maybe?"

"I'll get Garcia to do a search for any recent stock price drops that could have affected significant investors." Hotch said, reaching for his phone.

Suddenly, it began to ring in his pocket. Everyone froze as the team glanced at each other. Hotch reached for the phone and looked at the screen. The number was blocked. He quickly tapped the screen to answer the call and brought the phone to his ear.

"This is SSA Hotchner."

"Hello Aaron." A wispy voice said from the other end of the call. Hotch glanced at the others, motioning them to come closer so they could also hear the voice from the phone.

"Who is this?"

"I'm somebody you're very interested in right now." The voice replied back.

"What's your name?" Hotch asked, his voice flat and deadly serious. There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.

"I'm most commonly known by a simple title." The voice replied back. He seemed to pause for dramatic effect. "My friends sometimes call me… The Infinity Killer. I believe I have something of yours that you may want back."

"Are my agents hurt?" Hotch replied.

"Oh, they're fine for the moment, but their wellbeing will ultimately depend on you, Aaron." The voice said back, tauntingly.

"Let me speak to them." Hotch replied back.

"I'm sorry Aaron, but things aren't going to work that way." The voice called back. "I know it's going to be hard, not being the man in charge, but from now on I'm taking over that position."

"I'm just looking to get my agents home safely." Hotch replied. "Can we come up with an agreement on how to do that?"

Hotch heard a chuckle from the other end of the line.

"Well…" The voice began in a humorous tone, "I thought you'd never ask. There's something I'd like you to do for me, Aaron. And in return you can have your agents back safe and sound."

"If you're looking to negotiate," Hotch began, "There's only so much I can do. I will have to forward your requests to my superiors which will take time."

"You and I both know that's just something you say to stall, Aaron." The voice replied back. "And besides, what I'm asking from you is simple. You're going to hold a press conference, agent. And you're going to announce to the world that you and your team have caught the Infinity Killer. Make sure to emphasise that the fine citizens of California are safe yet again, thanks to your heroic efforts. Come up with something good. Use your imagination."

"Without a suspect in custody," Hotch began, "The public will have a hard time believing me."

"I'm not finished, Aaron." The voice replied back. "It's true you won't have a suspect in custody, but you will have something even better. One who's dead. The evil psychopath that's been feared for so long, shot dead by a federal agent. It's a tidy conclusion. A satisfying final chapter. And with the great and powerful Agent Hotchner announcing the news to the world, nobody will look any further."

"You want us to kill an innocent person and pass them off as the man behind your crimes?" Hotch said coldly.

"Oh, this person won't be innocent." the voice replied. "Just think of it as simply punishing them for their own past crimes. Besides... You either kill one of my people, or I kill two of yours."

"If I do what you ask," Hotch replied,

"Your agents will return home." The man interrupted. "You will receive a phone call in one hour with a location and more information on the target. Take your team, and take him out. Once I see the press conference being aired on TV afterwards, your agents are free to go."

"I understand." Hotch replied.

"And Aaron?" the voice said. "Please, don't try any tricks. Because believe me… I will know."

The phone line went dead.

"Could everybody hear that?" Hotch asked the team.

"He wants us to kill some random suspect and pass them off as the Infinity Killer to the world?" Morgan asked incredulously.

"That doesn't fit the profile." Callahan added. "This guy's a narcissistic egomaniac. There's no way he'll let anybody else take the fall, dead or alive."

"What's this guy's angle?" Rossi asked. "All this time it's seemed as if he wants to disappear as a mystery. The one that got away. But now he's looking for an end to the story?"

"He's done this to scare us." Hotch replied. "He wants us to abandon the case because he fears we're getting too close. That's why he took Reid and JJ. Not because of this press conference he wants us to deliver, but so he can show our team that he's in control."

"This whole charade with the press conference," Rossi began, "Is just icing on the cake. He's going to get us to make a fool of ourselves on national television announcing we've caught the killer, and he'll just turn around and strike the next day."

"Guys, this doesn't feel right." Morgan said to the team. "He's got two federal agents who have probably seen his face and can give a damn good description to a sketch artist. Now we can do exactly what this guy asks, but at the end of the day…"

Morgan paused briefly before looking at Hotch.

"I don't know if he's ever planning to let Reid and JJ go."

* * *

The man smiled as he pulled the battery from the back of the burner phone, and put the cell back into his pocket.

"See, agents?" the man said quietly to Reid and JJ, still securely trapped in the chairs inside the shack, "Aaron's going to do his part, and the two of you will be free to go."

The man reached into his other pocket, pulling out another phone. This one was larger, with a touchscreen. He tapped the screen and glanced at it.

"Well, would you look at the time!" the man said, putting the second phone away in his pocket. "Time really does fly when you're having fun."

The man began heading for the door of the shack.

"Wait…" Reid stammered. "Where are you going?"

The man opened the door and turned to face Reid.

"Aaron's expecting a call back in an hour." The man said, smiling. "I've got to get a few things ready. Besides, I could really go for a cold drink. It's getting a little toasty in here."

The man smiled and exited through the door, closing it behind him as the sound of a deadbolt locking could be heard from the outside. The unsub wasn't lying. The temperature had been steadily increasing in the shack, and was now getting extremely warm.

"We've got to get out of here." JJ said, looking around for something she could use to get out of the handcuffs. She could feel that her pockets had been emptied, and her belt had been removed. There was nothing on her that she could use to pick the locks.

"This whole thing is a trap." Reid said, with a panicked realization. "Right before he called Hotch, he told us that he's going to down in history without anybody knowing who he is. Not to mention the meaning behind the infinity symbol. Even if he stops killing, the mystery will never truly end."

"And now he wants to wrap it all up." JJ replied. "Let someone else take the blame. These are two completely different endgames."

"He's going to send Hotch and the rest of the team into a trap," Reid began, "And kill us regardless. He knows that we're the only ones who can possibly solve the case, so he has to make sure he gets our entire team out of the way. He was planning this all along."

"Spence, look." JJ said, gesturing towards the bottom of her chair. The two looked down at the front left chair leg. One of the nails used to hold the chair to the floor was loose, and was sticking slightly out of the wood.

"Can you get it out?" Reid asked desperately.

"I'm going to try." JJ responded, as she began to violently rock back and forth in the chair, trying to loosen the legs from the ground.

The two watched desperately as the legs of the chair strained against the nails but didn't budge. Reid reached for his watch, hoping he could use the clasp to pick the lock when he realised the unsub had removed it as well.

"Spence, I can't get it out." JJ said frantically.

"Leverage, JJ!" Reid cried. "Lean into the back of the chair. The pivot point will be on the back legs and you'll get the greatest output force on the front legs of the chair."

JJ glanced at Reid and attempted a smile. At this point, physics may be the only thing that would save their lives. She pushed her entire body against the back of the chair, using her feet as much as possible, despite them being tied firmly to the chair, to lift herself out and push against the back.

"JJ, it's working!" Reid said. JJ thrust herself into the chair's back, as a small splintering noise could be heard coming from the front legs. JJ and Reid looked at each other, surprised.

"Keep going!" Reid encouraged. JJ swung herself into the back of the chair again. This time, the legs didn't budge. She glanced at Reid before trying one more time. JJ threw herself back, as the front legs made another satisfying splintering noise.

Both of them looked down, as they saw the loose nail was sticking even further out of the chair. The nail must have been about three inches long, and almost an inch was now sticking out. JJ reached as far forward in the chair as she could, the handcuffs sliding from her wrists slightly up her arms as she tried to reach over to pull on the nail.

"I've almost got it…" JJ whispered. The handcuffs dug into her forearms as she desperately strained against her restraints, her fingers now inches away from the head of the nail. The chain holding the handcuffs to the bottom of the chair was extended as far as it could go, as JJ's fingertips grazed the nail's tip.

"I'm almost there…" JJ said. She pulled even harder, twisting her arms through the handcuffs, the metal digging into her skin as she reached ever closer. Just when the handcuffs couldn't slide upwards any more, she grasped the top of the nail.

"I've got it!" JJ exclaimed.

"See if you can wiggle it out!" Reid replied. The nail was surprisingly loose as JJ began pushing and pulling it in every direction, desperate to twist it free.

"I think it's coming out." JJ replied. She pulled on the head of the nail before giving it a sharp yank upwards. To the surprise of both agents, it slid almost straight out, freeing itself from the chair and dangling in JJs fingers.

The two agents shot each other a relieved glance.

JJ slid the handcuffs back down to her wrists as she stuck the nail in the keyhole and began fiddling with the mechanism inside. Reid listened for footsteps, but all he could hear was a moderate wind whistling past the shack. They were still alone, for now.

JJ could feel the tip of the nail scratching against various components inside the handcuff's lock. She shoved the nail in further, this time on an angle, and gave it a hard twist. Suddenly, one of the cuffs sprung open and fell away, freeing one of her hands.

"Almost there, JJ!" Reid encouraged. JJ smiled, and started working on the second handcuff. It didn't take long before that one sprung open as well. The cuffs fell, dangling from the chain attached to the bottom of the chair as JJ rubbed her sore wrists. She wasted no time and quickly went to work on each of her legs, untying the thick rope wrapped tightly around both her ankles. Then, as suddenly as it had all began, she was free.

JJ stumbled out of the chair, bracing herself against the wall. This was the first time she had been on her feet in hours and she felt weak and lightheaded. Her legs were shaky, and JJ fought the urge to sit down until she regained her balance. She glanced over and noticed a shovel resting in a small cubby in the wall next to the door. She rushed over to grab it, bringing the shovel back towards Reid. JJ crouched down under Reid's chair, looking at the chain leading from his handcuffs to the connection on the bottom of the chair. The chain was bolted to a wooden block screwed to the underside. It looked easy enough to break off.

"Hold still." JJ said to Reid, as she gripped the shovel, aiming it at the chain attachment on the underside of the chair. She thrust the shovel into the wood, twisting it upwards, as the bolt attachment gave way with a crunch, freeing Reid's handcuffs from the bottom of the chair. Reid pulled his hands away, still locked in the handcuffs but at least free from the chair to move.

JJ crouched down to begin untying Reid's legs.

"I'll get it, JJ." Reid insisted. "See if you can look through the cracks and see where we are."

JJ nodded and left the shovel beside Reid who began working at the rope around his ankles, as JJ made her way to one of the walls, peering out one of the cracks. She quickly looked back at Reid.

"Spence…" JJ began nervously. "We're in the middle of the desert."

"What?" Reid replied, surprised.

JJ ran over to the other side of the shack and peered out another crack in the wall.

"There's two vehicles outside," JJ said quietly. "A tan car and a white SUV. I can see people moving around, but I can't tell who or how many."

Reid had freed one of his legs and began working on the second set of ropes when JJ gasped.

"Spence, he's coming back!" JJ cried, tucking away from the wall. She grabbed the shovel and held it near her, slowly approaching the door.

"JJ, be careful!" Reid pleaded, as JJ stood to the right of the door, away from the direction of the door when it opened inwards.

"I've got this, Spence…" She said, wielding the shovel in front of her, preparing to strike whoever entered the shack.

Reid loosely wrapped the rope around his one free leg so it wouldn't look out of place when the unsub returned, and desperately worked at his second. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard and Reid held his hands low in the chair, disguising the fact that his handcuffs had broken free.

JJs heart raced as she held the shovel, listening as the sound of keys could be heard being inserted into a lock on the door as the deadbolt slid open. She took a breath and swallowed hard, preparing to strike. The doorknob turned as the door opened with a loud creak. It was now or never. JJ lunged in front of the person entering, swinging the shovel in front of her.

There was a sickening thump.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	11. Chapter 11

"Please tell me you have some good news about Reid and JJ." Garcia said desperately.

The team all stood around a large laptop sitting on a desk in the briefing room. They had established a video chat connection with Garcia back in Quantico, and her face partly filled the screen as she looked out at the rest of her team.

"We received a phone call from the unsub a little while ago," Hotch said into the computer.

"Well that's good!" Garcia exclaimed. "Maybe. I think. I don't know, is that good?"

"The unsub claimed to have Reid and JJ with him." Rossi said. "He said they weren't hurt."

"Oh thank God…" Garcia replied, relieved. "But they're still with him and not with you, so what do we do now to bring them home?"

"That's where we need your help, baby girl." Morgan said. "The unsub's come up with a few things that we have to do for him, and in return he said he'll release JJ and Reid."

"So just do what he says, and he'll let them go?" Garcia asked desperately.

"It's not going to be as simple as that." Hotch replied. "The unsub said he would call us back within the hour with more details about what he wants us to do, so I need you to try and trace the call to see if we can pinpoint a location to find out where the unsub is."

"If we can locate the unsub," Rossi said, "JJ and Reid won't be far away."

"Okay." Garcia said quickly, before glancing down at her other screens in her room back in Quantico as she typed feverishly.

"I can forward any incoming calls to your phone over here to me," Garcia began, "And put them through the mother of all tracing technology to find out where this creep's calling from."

"Thanks Garcia." Hotch replied back.

"Just, please…" Garcia began, looking at everybody in the briefing room through the screen. "Please be careful. This guy has already got JJ and Reid, and I don't want anybody else to get hurt, so just… Be careful…"

"We will, Garcia." Callahan said comfortingly.

"Okay…" Garcia said with a sigh. "Okay." She fanned her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Could you find anything about the two police officers involved in the Infinity Killer murders this week?" Hotch asked Garcia. "Or anything explaining why the unsub suddenly needed an influx of money?"

Garcia sat up in her chair, regaining her composure.

"Affirmative on the latter, actually!" Garcia chirped, as she began hammering on her keyboard yet again. "Okay, so I did what you asked and looked for any recent trouble in the whole shady world of investments."

"Anything obvious come up?" Rossi asked.

"Oh, it was far from obvious," Garcia began, "But it couldn't hide from me. So… Turns out there was this trading company in Mexico that took a turn for the worst recently. They specialized in stocks and bonds, and quite a few people invested a lot of money with them because of their uncanny growth rate, and also the paper trail that conveniently disappeared with these guys. However the CEO, if you can even call this guy that, was recently investigated for some major illegal activity. People got scared and pulled out, stock prices crashed, and several people lost a whole lot of money."

"How much money are we talking about?" Rossi asked.

"I have a list of a few prominent investors," Garcia began. "And some lost millions."

"Who was on that list?" Hotch replied back.

"A few individuals." Garcia responded. "Independent rich folks. A couple small companies, but there was one name that stood out for me. There was some company listed as H. Ocho and Associates. They claimed they were some stock trading company based out of Tokyo, but I looked all over for these guys, and no such thing exists in Tokyo or otherwise."

The team members looked at each other perplexed.

"H. Ocho?" Morgan asked. "Do you think it's an anagram for something?"

"Well whatever it is," Garcia continued, "Is a little fishy. These investors lost everything only about a week before the Infinity Killer returned to Los Angeles. And this mysterious Mr. Ocho lost a very familiar sum of money. Fifteen million."

The team looked at each other incredulously.

"That's got to be the Infinity Killer!" Rossi exclaimed. "I mean, it all adds up. An investment gone bad tanks and leaves the guy with nothing, so he turns around and gets it back another way."

"Can you find out who's responsible for this company?" Hotch called out into the computer.

"I've picked it apart until it was nothing but tiny little pieces," Garcia began, "But I came up with nothing. The only thing I did stumble across was the name 'Ocho'… I should warn you, get prepared to be creeped right out, because I know I sure was… 'Ocho' is Spanish for 'Eight'."

The team glanced at each other.

"And 'H' is the eighth letter of the alphabet…" Rossi slowly said after a brief pause.

"Eight…" Callahan murmured. "A figure eight instead of an infinity symbol."

"H. Ocho isn't a company" Morgan said. "It's the Infinity Killer."

"Exacty." Garcia said quietly from the laptop, everyone feeling as if they were getting incrementally closer, yet still immeasurably far away.

* * *

The door of the shack opened, as JJ swung the shovel at the person entering. The shovel struck with a sickening crunch, as the blade crashed into the side of the door, the unsub ducking out of the way just in the nick of time.

"JJ!" Reid shouted in a panic as the unsub lunged towards her, just as JJ was raising the shovel yet again. The man made contact and sent JJ crashing to the ground, the shovel falling to the floor as well while the two fell in a heap.

JJ landed on her back, while the man crashed into the wall next to the door. Dazed, he tried reaching for the shovel, but JJ was too quick. She swiftly kicked him in the stomach, causing him to recoil back, gasping in pain as he lost his balance and fell over backwards. JJ grabbed for the shovel, but the man had already grasped the wooden handle, using his other hand to pull out his gun.

"JJ!" Reid cried. "The gun, JJ! Get the gun!"

JJ glanced over as the man pulled out his weapon and thrust her elbow into his arm, causing the gun to fly out of his hands and land across the room. The unsub flailed at JJ as he desperately tried to get up, but he was no match for JJ's fighting skills. She punched the man across the face, before grabbing his head and forcing it into her knee. The man cried out before crashing motionless to the floor.

"JJ!" Reid cried. "Are you okay?"

JJ quickly got up, breathing heavily as the man lay still on the ground.

"I'm fine Spence…" she said, trying to catch her breath. She was bruised, but not seriously injured. JJ rushed over to the gun lying on the floor and picked it up, aiming it at the unsub as she approached closer and reached into his pocket, looking for the man's phone.

"What are you doing?" Reid asked urgently, as JJ rummaged through the man's pockets. She eventually pulled out his smartphone.

"Calling Hotch." JJ replied back, relieved. "The only way we're going to get out of here is if everyone knows where we are. They'll be able to trace the call and find us."

JJ quickly fumbled with the phone. She tapped the 'emergency call' icon on the locked home screen and hurriedly dialed Hotch's cell number as she rushed to look through the cracks of the wood again. Nobody was emerging from either of the two vehicles, so the commotion must have gone un-heard. JJ frantically placed the phone to her ear.

_The phone rang once._

Everybody froze in the briefing room as Hotch's phone began to chime. Hotch quickly looked at the time on the phone. An hour wasn't even close to being up. The number was blocked, so if it was the unsub calling, something had to have changed.

"Garcia, are you ready?" Hotch asked, looking at the screen.

"Yes!" Garcia replied. "The trace will begin as soon as you answer."

Hotch reached for the phone and took a breath.

_The phone rang twice._

"Hello?"

Hotch's voice came out of the phone, filling the shack with a glimmer of hope as JJ desperately held the cell to her ear.

"Hotch!" JJ cried.

"JJ!" she heard Hotch exclaim from the other end of the line. "What's going on? Are you and Reid okay?"

"We're fine!" JJ replied. "But we don't have much time. We got the unsub's phone, Hotch. You need to trace the call! I have no idea where we are."

"Garcia's on it right now!" Hotch replied from the cell. "If you can stay on the line long enough, we can pinpoint a GPS location. We're on our way."

"Okay." JJ replied. "I think we're somewhere in the middle of the desert. The unsub's unconscious but there are others outside. We can't run or else they'll see us."

"Stay there." Hotch instructed. "How many others are there?"

JJ crept back to the wall and peeked through the crack in the wood at the vehicles.

"Four or five, maybe." JJ said. "But this guy's got more, Hotch. He's got people working for him everywhere. Cops, paramedics. Even somebody in the FBI. You can't trust anybody."

"You're going to be okay." Hotch said through the phone. "Do you have anything to protect yourself with?

JJ glanced down at the unsub, still motionless.

"Yeah." JJ replied. "I've got the unsub's gun."

"Is Reid there?" Hotch asked from the phone.

JJ rushed over to Reid with the phone.

"Hotch!" Reid said desperately into the cell.

"Reid!" Hotch's voice replied. "We're going to get you out of there. Garcia's pinpointing the location right now."

Suddenly, some slight motion caught Reid's eye as he glanced down to the floor. The unsub was reaching for the shovel.

"JJ!" Reid shouted.

JJ wheeled around just as she felt a burning pain radiating from her leg. The unsub had hit her in the back of her calf with the shovel, her leg searing as she came crashing to the ground. Somehow the unsub had recovered and was now standing above her, brandishing the shovel. JJ tried to stand up, but the pain in her leg was too much. She didn't think it was broken, but she could feel blood beginning to soak through her pant leg. The unsub swung the shovel at her again, but she ducked out of the way, avoiding what would have been a fatal blow.

"JJ!" Hotch's voice called out from the phone, now lying on the floor. "What's going on?"

JJ shifted her weight up on her good leg and tried to tackle the unsub, but the man grabbed her by the neck, driving her body into the wooden boards before throwing her to the floor.

"JJ, can you hear me?" Hotch's voice yelled from the phone.

JJ tried getting up, but the unsub kicked her across the face and she fell back down to the floor, blood pouring from her lip.

"Big mistake, agents." the man said slowly, trying to catch his breath as he rubbed his bruises from the fight. The man slowly approached JJ who was lying groaning on the ground and kicked her in the stomach, winding her. JJ coughed and gasped for breath as the man kicked her yet again, this time even harder. JJ rolled into a ball, clutching her stomach as the unsub laughed.

The man reached over, grabbing her by the shoulders and flung her towards the chairs where she landed in a heap. He rushed over to grab his gun from the ground and picked up the cell phone, Hotch's frantic voice still shouting from the other end. Without ending the call, he set the phone down on the ground.

"Get up!" the man growled, as he grabbed JJ's hair, pulling her up as she cried out in pain. The man pushed JJ into the back of the chair, grabbing her arms and securing the handcuffs as tight as they could close around her wrists. He reached under his sport coat, producing the electric baton with one hand as he quickly extended it before jamming it into JJ's stomach. The electricity surged through her body as she cried out, the voltage sending her muscles into uncontrollable spasms.

"Stop!" Reid pleaded. "Leave her alone!"

The man glared at Reid before punching him square across the jaw, stunning him with the blow.

"You want to call your team?" the man roared, as he picked up the phone on the ground and held it towards JJ, shocking her again with the prod. JJ writhed in the chair, as the man laughed, the sound of the prod's electric crackle filling the room.

"Go ahead!" the man taunted. "Let's let agent Hotchner hear the entire show!"

The man held the phone closer as he plunged the prod into JJ's stomach yet again. She screamed as the current shot through her body, the pain feeling like needles stabbing her every muscle. Hotch's voice could be heard desperately shouting from the other end, as the entire team was forced to hear what the man was putting her through.

The unsub finally pulled the prod away as JJ gasped for breath, slumping over in the chair. The man calmly set the phone down on the ground before reaching for the shovel and smashing the blade into the phone, the screen turning black as Hotch's voice suddenly stopped.

* * *

The line went dead as the team crowded around Hotch's phone in the briefing room. Garcia was nearly hysterical, as the rest of the team sat horrified, listening to the scenario unfolding on the other end. Hotch tapped the screen, desperate to hear something coming through, but there was nothing. He sat the phone down and looked at the others.

"We need to get there, now." Rossi demanded, turning towards Garcia.

"Garcia, tell me you could trace the call!" he barked as Garcia fought back tears.

"Yes." Garcia sobbed, typing quickly. "I was able to pinpoint a GPS location on the phone. I've sent it to each of your devices."

Chief Hunt suddenly came rushing into the room after all the commotion.

"Is everything all right in here?" he said, looking at everybody.

"Two of our agents have been kidnapped." Hotch replied. "And their lives are in immediate danger." The chief looked at him, surprised.

"Give me a location." The chief replied back. "I'll have SWAT deployed right now."

Morgan frantically looked on his phone, the location of the cell displaying itself on a map Garcia had sent.

"Where the hell is this?" Morgan demanded, as he stood up, showing the phone to Chief Hunt. The chief looked at the phone, trying to make out the location.

"That's in the middle of the desert." The chief replied. "Just northwest of Barstow, out by Edwards Air Force Base."

"How long does it take to get there?" Rossi frantically asked. The chief looked at the team, a panicked look in his eyes.

"Two and a half hours, at least." The chief stammered, realizing the scope of the situation. "Maybe less if we boot it."

"We don't have that kind of time." Hotch replied. "I have two of my agents being held there by whoever is responsible for the Infinity Killer homicides, and the situation is devolving quickly."

"If we don't get there soon, they're both going to be dead!" Morgan shouted.

The police chief turned away from the team, desperately trying to think of a solution. He suddenly looked back up, an idea in his mind.

"Follow me." The chief demanded, as the team began putting on their Kevlar vests and strapping their guns in their holsters.

"I think there might be something we can do."

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	12. Chapter 12

Chief Hunt had led Hotch and the rest of the team only a few minutes from the police headquarters to an office tower a few buildings down. They were accompanied by an EMT and four SWAT officers as Chief Hunt led the group into the lobby of the building.

"Something you probably didn't know about L.A. building code," the chief said as the team rushed into the building, "Is back in 1974, Municipal Code required every building over 75 feet to have an emergency rooftop helipad."

The team couldn't help but think the chief was starting to sound like Reid.

"They've only recently amended that," the chief continued, "So new buildings can be built without a flat topped roof. Architects love it because they can now design skyscrapers with curved or pointed roofs like the new ones found in other major cities."

The chief led the group to an elevator in the lobby of the building and pressed the up button.

"Fortunately, this building was built back in the 90's and is well over 75 feet." The chief said. "I've got the LAPD's biggest chopper waiting on the rooftop helipad for you. She's a Eurocopter EC145. Room for nine passengers and two crew and can go about 135 knots if the pilots push it. You should be able to get to your agents in about half an hour."

Hotch looked at the chief, relieved as he smiled and nodded. The elevator arrived, and the doors slid open.

"Thank you, Chief." Hotch said gratefully, as he shook the man's hand. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, Aaron." The chief replied. "Bring 'em home safe."

Everybody piled into the elevator as Hotch followed, pressing a button for the rooftop access. He gave one last nod of appreciation to Chief Hunt who nodded back, as the doors closed and the elevator began its brisk ascent.

When the team reached the rooftop access they could hear the sound of helicopter blades nearby. There was a small access door just away from the elevator that would lead everybody outside to the chopper, and the team began rushing out onto the rooftop of the building. The helicopter was waiting with doors open, as one of the pilots was standing outside, gesturing for everybody to enter. The chopper was painted with white and blue decals, the Los Angeles Police Department's logos featured prominently on the impressive aircraft.

"We already have the GPS coordinates!" the pilot shouted to Hotch, trying to be heard over the roar of the rotors as everybody climbed onboard. "We'll get there in about 28 minutes, according to our flight management system."

"Thank you!" Hotch shouted back, as he followed the rest of the group into the helicopter before the pilot closed the door behind them. He ran to the left side of the front of the aircraft and opened his small door, climbing into the front to accompany the other pilot.

As soon as the doors were closed, the engine's pitch steadily increased as the helicopter lifted off from the roof and began flying away from the bustle of the city to the desert east of Los Angeles.

"When we arrive," Hotch commanded to the group, "There will be two federal agents being held somewhere in the premises. It's imperative we don't let them get caught up in any crossfire."

The SWAT officers all nodded.

"The pilot said we should get there in just under a half an hour." Hotch said to Rossi, who was sitting anxiously next to him.

"You think Reid and JJ will be able to keep the unsub from escalating any further until then?"

Hotch looked at Rossi, a desperate look in both their eyes.

"I hope so, David." Hotch replied. "I hope so."

* * *

JJ tried to sit up in the chair, her body stinging after the current of the prod while its electrical crackle still echoed in the small shack.

"That was a clever little magic trick you pulled there," the unsub snarled, as he leaned against the back wall, trying to catch his breath after the fight while he collapsed the electric baton and placed it back into the small holster under his sport coat. "But you should have known better than to try and escape."

"Please…" Reid begged the unsub, "Don't hurt her."

"How'd you do it?" the man snarled. "Do tell. I'm quite curious."

His eyes scanned the entire room before he paused, peering at something on the floor. The nail JJ had used to pick her handcuffs had fallen on the floor during the commotion, as the man walked slowly towards it.

"Well done…" the man said slowly as he crouched down, picking up the nail. He approached JJ and held it in his fingers, smiling. Suddenly he jerked his hand down, stabbing the nail into JJ's leg as she gasped in pain, her leg still aching after the unsub had hit it with the shovel. The man smiled and turned around, heading towards the front of the shack.

"I gave you every opportunity to cooperate," the man said, as he stormed towards the door of the shack, opening it and briefly stepping outside, "But you've decided to fight me every step of the way."

The man picked up an object sitting by the door and brought it back inside. It looked to be a small black bag, and the man set it down on the table by the door as he pulled something out.

"You think you're so clever." The man snarled, as he produced some sort of sleeve from the bag and laid it flat on the table. "You think you've won just because you were able to call your precious team? You're not even close."

The man turned around and leaned against the table, smiling at the agents.

"You honestly didn't think I hadn't accounted for the possibility your team would find out where you are?" the man said, laughing. "We're at least two and a half hours from Los Angeles. My guys outside will be able to see any vehicles approaching miles away, and we've got at least a thirty minute head start if someone shows up. That's the beauty of the desert, agents. You can see anything coming a long time before they can see you."

The man flipped open the sleeve revealing two rows of five hypodermic needles, each of the ten needles secured in a small pouch.

"You know, you've got nobody but the CIA to thank for what I'm going to do to you." The man said, pulling one of the needles from the pouch and removing the cover. "This used to be an old interrogation technique they'd use. So simple, yet so extremely painful."

The man held up the first needle. JJ glanced over before grimacing and turning away.

"First they'd knock you out with this." The man said. "A powerful sedative. It will slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and your breathing will become shallow."

"Please…" Reid begged, "Please don't do this."

"Then once you're out," the man continued, ignoring Reid's pleas, "They'd give you a little wakeup call with one of those."

The man pointed at the second row of needles.

"A fast acting amphetamine." He said, smiling. "A powerful stimulant that shocks your system awake. You'll be able to feel it coursing through your veins. Your heart rate will spike in mere seconds. Your blood pressure will go through the roof, and your lungs will burn. It will literally feel as if you are being stabbed from the inside out."

"Don't…" Reid begged as the man pulled a second needle from the pouch and began walking towards JJ.

"You know, I've heard that if you inject enough of this into a person," the man continued, "Eventually your heart won't be able to take the stress anymore and will enter a violent, extremely painful series of spasms before sending you into cardiac arrest."

The man crouched down, rolling up JJ's sleeves as she tried squirming away.

"JJ!" Reid cried out desperately.

"It's okay…" JJ replied quietly, desperately trying to stay strong as she prepared herself for the injection. "It's okay…"

"I don't know if this will be enough to do that," the man said, smiling. "But I'm sure going to have a lot of fun finding out."

The man slowly inserted the first needle into JJ's arm as she squeezed her eyes shut, the sensation of the injection sending shivers through her body. She could almost feel the substance entering her veins as her entire arm began growing numb, soon followed by the rest of her body.

"One down." The man said tauntingly, as JJ began to lose consciousness from the drug. "Nine more to go."

JJ tried desperately to stay awake, but her eyes rolled back and she slumped over lifelessly in the chair. The man set the first needle down on the ground and prepared the second.

"The effects won't last long," the man began as he started to roll JJ's other sleeve up to her elbow, "But it'll be unbearable for the first couple minutes after the second injection."

"Please stop…" Reid pleaded, as he watched desperately as the man administered the second needle. He knew he had to do something, but with one leg still tied to the chair he wouldn't be able to attack the unsub, even with his handcuffs freed. After a few seconds, JJ gasped as she shot awake, the stimulant burning through her body as she writhed in the chair. Her heart was now beating so fast it felt like it was going to explode and her muscles were involuntarily twitching, sending her body into uncontrollable spasms as she gasped in pain.

The man laughed as he returned to the table, retrieving two more of the hypodermic needles.

"Doesn't feel so hot, does it?" the man asked as JJ writhed in agony, her body feeling like her insides were on fire. He approached with the second set of injections and held them up to JJ.

"Please…" JJ stammered, "Stop…"

The pain was nearly intolerable as the clash of the drugs tore through her body. Her heart was beating so fast her entire chest felt like it was being hit with a jackhammer, and her lungs felt scorched and empty. JJ's muscles twitched and convulsed, as the man silently watched before removing the cap on the third needle, slowly approaching JJ before grabbing her arm as her entire body shook.

"Please…" JJ choked, "Don't…"

"I guess you should have thought about that before you tried escaping, agent." The man whispered, as he inserted the third needle into JJ's arm. JJ tried saying something, but the sedative was too powerful. Her head wavered before she slumped, unconscious again in the chair.

"Stop!" Reid shouted, "You're going to kill her!" The unsub looked over at Reid and smiled as he removed the cover on the fourth injection.

"Poor agent Jareau doesn't realize that her actions have consequences." The man replied calmly, holding JJ's other arm in his hands as he administered the fourth needle, pushing the plunger as the amphetamine entered her veins. "But I think this might finally drive the message home."

The man removed the needle, taking the four used ones back to the table as JJ suddenly awoke again, coughing and gasping for breath as she began to shake. The unsub held his back to the agents as he prepared two more needles, finally giving Reid an opportunity to work at freeing his other leg. He bent over in the chair, pulling at the large knot at the back of the rope until it finally loosened, the pressure of the rope around his ankle lessening. However, he was forced to quickly return to his position in the chair just before the unsub turned around, two more needles in his hand.

"No…" JJ whimpered, her voice pained and shaky. Her entire body was in agony, the drugs feeling as if they were stabbing needles through her organs as she tried desperately to catch her breath.

"We're not even halfway done, Jen." The man said calmly, standing in front of JJ with the next set of injections. "I hope this will be enough for you to learn your lesson."

Reid watched helplessly as the man injected JJ with the fifth needle, her arms beginning to be covered with track marks from the repeated injections. She slumped unconscious yet again as the man removed the cap from the sixth shot.

"Stop, please…" Reid begged as he watched the man insert the next needle into her arm. He quickly delivered the amphetamine and walked back to the table, a small pile of used needles now forming on the table beside the four remaining ones.

JJ gasped as she jolted awake yet again, the pain becoming almost too much to bear as the unsub watched with a smile on his face, removing two more needles from the sleeve. JJ's heart was beating faster than she had ever felt before, and her lungs felt like pincushions as she tried gasping for breath.

"Reid…" JJ gasped desperately, as the man slowly approached with two more injections.

"Four more and we're finished." The man said smiling as he removed the cap from the fourth round of sedatives.

"Give them to me!" Reid shouted desperately, a deadly silence following. The unsub glanced over at Reid, looking at him with a slight smile.

"Leave her alone, and give the rest to me..." Reid replied.

The unsub chuckled, moving towards Reid.

"That's a generous offer." The man calmly said, "But with all due respect, Spencer… You weren't the one who tried attacking me with a shovel, were you?"

The man chuckled and grabbed JJ's arm, preparing to inject the sedative into her yet again.

"You were never going to let us go." Reid suddenly said before the man could insert the needle. He pulled it away from JJ's arm and turned towards Reid.

"You lied." Reid replied, "You said you were going to let us go, but you lied. All along, you were going to kill us both and our entire team, too."

The man chuckled and stepped away from JJ.

"And what makes you say that?" the man replied, staring at Reid with his cold eyes.

"You told my team to frame somebody else as the Infinity Killer and you'd let us go." Reid said as he subtly wiggled his leg, trying to loosen the ropes without the unsub noticing. "But you would never do that. For one, you can't stop killing. But you would never let anybody else take the fall because that means that you lose. That means that you turn into nothing."

The unsub stared back at Reid without saying a word.

"A genius turned into nothing but a common criminal." Reid continued, grateful that he was able to spare JJ from any more injections. "Your legacy would be over. People would forget all about you, and your infinity symbol would mean nothing. There _would_ be an end. There _would_ finally be closure. And that's something you can never let happen."

The man laughed as he walked over to the table and set the needles down.

"I suppose I should have known you'd see right through this." The man said, chuckling to himself. "I'm not surprised you did, Spencer. After all, you're the only one who really thinks on your team, huh?"

The man turned around and pulled a small case from the black bag.

"Aaron and the others are impulsive." The man continued, "I knew all I had to do was take two of their precious agents, and they'd do nearly anything to get them back. Even if that means walking right into my trap."

"So that's why you brought us here…" JJ said through gritted teeth, as she began regaining a modicum of her strength back as the drugs gradually lost their potency in her body. "This was a setup from the very beginning to trap and kill our entire team, wasn't it?"

The man smiled at JJ, still breathing heavily in the chair.

"Yeah," the man said slowly after a brief pause. "I mean, did you really think I went through all the effort to get you here just to have a quick chit-chat?"

Reid shot a concerned glance over to JJ who was trying to sit up in the chair.

"Look, I'm a smart man, agents." The man said. "When my contact in the FBI gave me the heads up that you folks were coming to town, I figured I had better do something. I've seen your track record. And I can't lie; your success rate is remarkable. Really, your team was about the only threat that I couldn't take care of with a quick phone call, so I had to come up with another way."

"Our team was the first real competition you've ever had." JJ snarled, trying to control her breathing as her heart rate gradually stabilized. "You couldn't just pay us off to get rid of us."

"That I couldn't, Jennifer." The man said, holding the small black case he had removed from the bag in his hands. "Your team changed the rules of the game a bit, so I was forced to adapt."

"We didn't change the rules." JJ hissed, "We were the only ones who ever played by them. This entire time you think you've been the winner, but all you've ever done is cheat."

"It's not cheating, Jenny." The man said tauntingly, "It's strategizing. And that's all this was, too. A strategy. Just the right series of moves to knock you players off the game board."

"You knew if you kidnapped us, you would be able to control the rest of our team with our lives." Reid said, as he continued subtly wiggling his leg, his restraints feeling increasingly looser.

"Exactly." The man replied, smiling. "I knew your team would do anything to get you back, so I set up this little trap. They'll get my phone call in a few minutes with an address to visit where they think they're going to find the target to pass off as the Infinity Killer. Little do they know as soon as they arrive, they're going to be ambushed and all killed, while the rest of the authorities will find your mangled bodies in this very shack, along with my little calling card scrawled on the wall."

"You might kill us," JJ began, "But your trap won't kill the rest of our team. They know where we are. They're on their way right now, and they're going to find you."

The man laughed and looked at JJ.

"Yes, Jennifer." The man said. "I'm well aware of your little stunt with the phone. I have no doubt in my mind that Hotchner and friends are on the road here as we speak. But I already thought of that."

Reid glanced nervously over at JJ, who had regained enough strength to sit upright in her chair.

"You're forgetting that I leave no possible outcome unaccounted for." The man said proudly. "I'm adaptable, agents. I'll simply make a few phone calls and let everyone know that plans have changed. While my original trap likely won't work thanks to you, this one will."

"You're lying…" JJ snarled. The man laughed and looked at her.

"I'm afraid not, Jennifer." The man replied with a smile. "I always counted on the possibility your team may arrive here, which is why I've brought a little something with me just in case. I've got a nitroglycerin shrapnel bomb waiting outside in the car. It radiates an omnidirectional pulse when it goes off, causing extensive damage to anything surrounding it. When your team arrives to look for you two in here, they'll open the door in this cozy little shack, triggering the bomb and setting it off. Of course, by then we'll be long gone and out of harm's way. I have a contact who will arrive soon after the explosion to make sure everyone's dead and to finish anybody else off, if necessary. And then, I disappear."

The man held the small case in his hands as he held it towards the agents.

"Of course, it's just a bit of salt on the wound when the authorities comb through the wreckage and discover the remnants of your bodies along with my little signature painted on the remains on the wall in your blood." The man said, as he pulled a long knife from the case, holding it up to the two. The sunlight entering the shack through the cracks in the wood glinted off its silver blade as the man gently moved it in his hands.

"I'm sure you're both well aware of my modus operandi," He continued, placing the case down and slowly approaching the agents with the knife. "Violent slashing and stabbing of the victim, is what the police reports say, I believe."

The man approached even closer with the knife, glancing back and forth between the two agents, as if trying to decide who to murder first.

"Please…" Reid said quietly, "You don't have to do this."

"Actually…" the man said slowly, "I do."

Reid could feel his leg was almost entirely free as he continued to carefully twist it out of the ropes. It wouldn't take much longer before he was able to pull his entire foot out, and he worked at sliding his heel out of the bindings as the man approached.

"This has been fun agents," the man said coldly, "But I really should be going. After I kill you two, I've still got to set my bomb up in here before we can be on our way."

The man looked over at JJ and smiled.

"Now Jennifer…" the man said slowly, "It's because of you that I had to change my plans so quickly, so I think it's only fair that you be the first one to go."

The man held the knife in front of him and slowly walked next to JJ who was desperately pulling at her handcuffs, her leg too weak after being struck with the shovel to help her try to escape the chair.

"Oh, not to worry, Jennifer." The man said coldly. "You won't be able to escape this time."

The man crouched down in front of JJ and wrapped his hand around her neck, pushing her head back and immobilizing her upper body. Reid watched in horror as JJ whimpered, preparing for what the unsub was going to do while he desperately tried pulling his leg from the ropes still tangled around his ankle. JJ tried thrashing away from the unsub, but it was no use. The man leaned in close to her face as she involuntarily cried out in terror, the knife coming ever closer to her body. The unsub held her neck tighter as he positioned the blade inches from her stomach.

"Please!" JJ cried out desperately. The unsub looked into her eyes, his usual demented smile replaced with a cold, petrifying stare.

"I suggest you stop trying to fight me." The man said, his voice quiet and low, "The sooner you try to relax… The sooner this will all be over."

A hollow scream escaped JJ's lips as the unsub brought the knife tip against her body, her cry echoing in the desolate shack before going unheard in the barren emptiness of the lifeless desert.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	13. Chapter 13

JJ cried out, a mixture of pain and terror in her voice as the tip of the knife was slowly pushed into her stomach, the tip puncturing through her shirt as the first few millimetres began cutting through her skin. JJ was about to close her eyes when suddenly a burst of movement caught her attention. Reid gave his leg one final jerk, twisting his ankle free as he slipped his legs out of the ropes and lunged out of the chair. Before the unsub could even react, Reid wrapped his handcuffs around the unsub's neck from behind and pulled as hard as he could. The man shouted and dropped the knife in surprise as he clawed at his throat, Reid crushing it with the chain between his handcuffs as he pulled the unsub backwards.

The two went crashing into the side wall of the shack as Reid pulled as hard as he could on the handcuffs. The man choked and gasped for breath, his hands desperately clawing at the cuffs around his neck. He frantically kicked behind him, his heel eventually smashing into Reid's knee causing his leg to collapse from under him and the two came crashing to the floor. Reid landed on his back with the unsub on top of him when he felt the man's elbow make contact with his jaw. The blow dazed Reid as the unsub twisted around and pulled his head out from under the handcuffs, gasping for breath as he clutched his throat.

Reid quickly recovered from the strike and lunged at the unsub, hitting him across the face before the man grabbed the chain hanging from the handcuffs and jerked it towards the ground, sending a searing pain through Reid's wrists as he came crashing down.

"The gun!" JJ screamed from the chair, watching the chaos unfold. "Get the gun!"

Reid stood up just as the unsub also got to his feet. The man lunged at Reid, grabbing him by the shoulders before driving him into the side wall of the shack. He hit so hard the vibration of the blow resonated throughout the entire structure as Reid fell to the floor, grabbing the unsub's leg on the way down as they both came crashing to the ground. The unsub tried desperately to pull his gun from his belt, but Reid grabbed his arm and forced it back to the floor, the gun slipping out of his hand and sliding across the room.

Both of them got up at the same time, lunging for the gun, when the unsub suddenly grabbed Reid and threw him towards the table by the door. Reid crashed into the side of it, collapsing one of the legs and sending the object hurtling down on top of him as he tried to get up. Reid spotted the gun on the ground lying mere feet away and desperately crawled towards it as the unsub lunged at him, pulling the electric baton from the small holster under his sport coat as he stumbled towards Reid.

"Spencer!" JJ screamed. Reid tried standing up, but tripped as he came falling to the floor, the gun still a foot or so out of his reach. Suddenly, he saw the unsub coming up from his left but it was too late. The man jammed the electric baton into Reid's back, sending the current pumping through his body as he screamed in agony. It felt like an eternity before the unsub finally pulled the prod away before Reid felt it suddenly contact his neck, the electricity searing through his body as he screamed, writhing on the floor.

The man pulled the baton from his body, kicking Reid in the chest as he reached for the gun on the floor. Reid recoiled in pain, the blow to the chest winding him as he rolled away from the unsub.

"Reid!" JJ screamed.

The man reached over, picking the gun up from the ground as he still gasped for breath. He glared at Reid, followed by JJ.

"This ends now…" The man hissed. Suddenly the sound of a gunshot filled the small room. Reid wheeled around and saw smoke exiting the gun as the unsub lowered it before collapsing against the wall near the door of the shack, rubbing his throat as he tried to catch his breath. Reid looked over at JJ, his heart skipping a beat. Blood was pouring from JJ's stomach, as she desperately clutched the gunshot wound with her handcuffed hands.

"No…" Reid whimpered, crawling towards her. "JJ!"

Reid dragged himself towards her before collapsing next to her chair. He got to his knees and reached up, pressing on the wound on her stomach in a desperate attempt to put pressure on the area. Blood was pouring out, her shirt becoming soaked as her blood dripped through Reid's hands and onto the floor.

"JJ!" Reid cried. "Oh God, JJ…"

The unsub sat against the back wall of the shack, still holding the gun as he rubbed his neck and gradually caught his breath.

"Spence…" JJ groaned, looking down at Reid.

"It's okay, JJ…" Reid said, his voice beginning to crack, "You're going to be okay." The blood was pouring everywhere, and Reid's hands were now completely covered. He pressed even harder as he tried stuffing JJ's shirt into the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"I'm so sorry…" Reid said, tears beginning to stream down his face. "JJ, I'm so sorry…"

"Spencer, listen to me…" JJ weakly groaned. Reid looked desperately into her eyes.

"This wasn't your fault." JJ faintly said, "There's nothing you could have done, Spencer. This was not your fault…"

"I should have been able to stop him…" Reid cried. "If I could have just gotten the gun, none of this would have happened."

JJ rested her hands on top of Reid's, still desperately pressing down on the wound on her stomach.

"Spencer, stop…" JJ murmured. "There was nothing you could do. I can't have you thinking for a minute that you were responsible, do you hear me?"

Reid desperately looked into JJ's eyes.

"This was not your fault…" JJ gasped. "I need you to tell me you know that, Spencer… This was not your fault."

Reid looked into her eyes, tears running down his face.

"I know, JJ…" Reid whimpered, after a brief pause. "I know…"

"Spence…" JJ said, her voice now nothing more than a weak whisper, "I need you to do one last thing for me…"

"Anything…" Reid replied, as he continued to press on JJ's wound. "Anything, JJ…"

"If you can get out of here… I need you to tell Henry-" JJ began, her voice cracking as tears began to run down her face, "I need you to tell him that his mommy will always love him..."

Reid shuddered as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"And…" JJ said, her voice quivering as her eyes welled up, "Even though mommy can't be there with him, she will always love him more than anything in the entire world for the rest of his life... You need to tell him that, Spencer. If you can get out of here, promise me you'll tell him that…"

"I will, JJ…" Reid said, sobbing. "JJ, I promise, I will…"

JJ's eyes began to flutter closed, as her head began to waver.

"No, JJ…" Reid begged. "You have to stay with me, JJ… Stay with me!"

"Spence…" JJ murmured, desperately holding her eyes open as she gazed at Reid. "Goodbye, Spencer…"

JJ's eyes slowly closed as her body settled in the chair, her head hanging to the left as she grew limp.

"No…" Reid whispered, "JJ, no…"

The unsub had gotten to his feet again, rubbing his bruises as he leaned against the rear wall, holding the gun by his side. He stared emotionlessly at the two when suddenly, the door of the shack burst open as a man entered brandishing a gun in front of him. He was a taller man with short, slicked-back black hair and was likely a good ten years older than the unsub. He looked at Reid and JJ before wheeling around, staring at the unsub.

"I heard a gunshot." The dark-haired man said. He appeared to be of Spanish descent, but didn't have any noticeable accent. "What the hell is going on in here?"

"That was me, Alex." The unsub replied back, rubbing his bruises and showing the dark-haired man the gun. "Everything's fine. I'm taking care of things."

The dark-haired man glanced over at Reid, still clutching the wound on JJ's lifeless body.

"You're sure you've got everything under control?" the dark-haired man asked, gesturing at Reid who was free from his chair.

"Yes, Alex." The unsub replied back, slowly regaining his usual cavalier attitude. "Everything is fine. In fact, this has turned out to be far more entertaining than I thought. Have you seen anything approaching outside?"

"No." The dark haired man replied.

"You may." The unsub replied back. "It's likely our location has been breached so keep an eye out for any vehicles approaching. I'll take care of doctor Reid and then we can bring the bomb in and arm it."

The dark haired man looked at the unsub, surprised.

"Don't look so worried!" the unsub said with a chuckle, as he gave the dark-haired man a playful nudge. "The original plan has been modified, but we planned for this. We're simply going to follow through with our backup, and everything will be fine. Now, let the others know about the change and get the bomb ready, Alex."

The dark haired man nodded and lowered his gun, quickly leaving the shack as he closed the door behind him. The unsub sighed, still rubbing his neck before turning back towards Reid. He was still pressing on JJ's wound as he knelt beside her, staring in horror at her lifeless body.

"She's dead." The man said coldly with a slight smile on his face. "Now get away from her, and get back into your chair."

Reid remained motionless, ignoring the man as he continued pressing on JJ' wound.

"Get away from her, Spencer," the man repeated, "And sit down in your chair."

Reid slowly turned towards the unsub, his devastation being replaced with pure rage as he looked at the man.

"She had a husband…" Reid said slowly. "And a son…"

"I don't care." The man replied back, slowly walking towards Reid, holding the gun towards him.

"No." Reid replied, staring at the man. "You never do, do you? You never care about any of the lives that you destroy for your sick pleasure, you son of a bitch."

"I told you to get away from her and get into your chair." The unsub said slowly, his voice slowly becoming angry.

"Or else what?" Reid said with an incredulous laugh. "You're going to kill me? Go ahead. You might as well do it now, right? What's one more body to you?"

The unsub took his gun and whipped it across Reid's face, sending him falling to the floor as he clutched his cheek. The unsub grabbed Reid's hair and pulled his body across the floor to his chair before forcing him into the seat as Reid cried out in pain.

"There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to kill you." The man hissed, as he picked his knife up from the floor, holding it close to Reid's face. "But first… I am going to make you suffer…"

* * *

The helicopter flew over the barren desert terrain as the occupants anxiously sat in the rear, their minds racing as to what they would find at the coordinates while they watched the desert landscape fly by beneath them. Suddenly, the speakers popped inside the aircraft as the pilot's voice broadcasted through the intercom.

"We've got something straight ahead!" the pilot's voice exclaimed. "The object matches the approximate GPS coordinates from the phone. It looks like a single structure, and two vehicles."

Hotch unfastened his shoulder harness and rushed out of his seat to the front of the helicopter where he looked out the cockpit window. Sure enough, some sort of small building was visible a little ways ahead. The pilot glanced up, handing him a small microphone attached to a cord leading from a radio panel in the middle of the two pilot's seats. Hotch held the microphone in front of his mouth and flipped a small switch on the side.

"Everybody, listen carefully." Hotch announced, his voice traveling through the P.A. system so everybody could hear. "We're approaching our target. Two federal agents are being held hostage and are likely inside the building; their injuries unknown. We will land and immediately storm the building. SWAT, you exit the helicopter first. Morgan and Callahan, follow the SWAT officers and take the building, and Rossi and I will cover the vehicles. Use lethal force as necessary, but do not endanger the hostages with any crossfire. Once we've retrieved the agents, I'll radio back to the helicopter if any medical attention is required."

Hotch looked at the EMT who nodded, holding his medical bag on his lap.

"We will assume all assailants are armed and dangerous." Hotch continued. "Cover each other, and maintain constant vigilance."

The SWAT officers all nodded as they armed their assault rifles, unfastening their shoulder harnesses in preparation. Hotch put the microphone down and looked at the pilots.

"Does this helicopter have a siren?" Hotch asked the pilots. One turned around and looked at him.

"Affirmative, sir." The pilot responded. Hotch nodded.

"We're already closing in with an aircraft that's not exactly quiet, so stealth isn't an option." Hotch continued. "What we lack in stealth, we can make up for in surprise. They're not going to be expecting us to arrive in this, so hit the siren just as we're approaching."

The pilot nodded at Hotch.

"Yes, sir." The pilot replied, as Hotch headed to the rest of the team in the back.

* * *

The unsub laughed as he held the knife closer to Reid, the tip only inches from his face.

"Jennifer got it easy, agent." The unsub said, smiling as Reid glanced at the knife. "But you're not going to be so lucky. Believe me, I didn't want to have to be so cruel to the both of you, but you each gave me no choice."

Reid swallowed hard as the unsub slowly moved the knife around his body, the tip just inches away from his skin.

"I heard what poor little Jenny said to you before she… Well… You know."

The man smiled and rolled his eyes, before making a sickening choking noise and chuckling.

"Heartwarming, really." The man said mockingly. "Too bad you'll never be able to deliver her message to her kid."

The man smiled and glanced to the side, as Reid glared at him.

"But after I'm done with you and your team," he began, "I might as well pop in for a visit. It'll be priceless to see the look on her kid's face when I tell him myself."

Reid glared at the unsub when suddenly, a dull humming noise could be heard outside. Both paused and glanced around as the unsub slowly stepped backwards. Suddenly, the door to the shack burst open as the dark-haired man re-entered.

"Harold!" the man shouted. "We've got a problem!"

The unsub wheeled around at the dark-haired man.

"What the hell is going on, Alex?" the unsub demanded.

"We've got company!" the dark-haired man shouted. "We've got to get out of here now!"

"I thought you said nothing was coming!" the unsub shouted. "You would have seen any vehicles approaching miles away!"

The sound was getting gradually louder, as the unsub slowly realizied what it was.

"It's not a vehicle…" the dark-haired man said before tearing out of the shack. Suddenly, a blaring siren pierced the silence outside as the unsub ran to the door and stuck his head out, his gun still aimed at Reid. Reid wheeled around in his chair, desperate to see what was approaching when the unsub came back in, a slight tint of fear moving across his face for the very first time. As quickly as Reid had detected it, it was gone as the unsub moved towards Reid, tossing the knife on the floor as he held the gun to Reid's head.

"Well, agent…" the man said slowly, as the sound of helicopter rotors could now be clearly heard in close proximity to the structure, "Things just got a little more interesting."

The man grabbed the chain hanging from Reid's handcuffs and pulled him out of the chair, holding Reid in front of him as he held the gun to Reid's head. He gave him a push towards the door.

"Move." The unsub said coldly, as Reid felt himself being thrust towards the door, the helicopter's din now almost unbearably loud as the rotors sliced through the air like a knife through flesh.

**_Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter..._**


	14. Chapter 14

The helicopter descended rapidly as the occupants could start to make out the details of the objects ahead of them. There was a small wooden shack with a low, flat topped roof and two vehicles; a large SUV and a sturdy looking sedan parked a little ways away. Suddenly, the pilots noticed motion coming from the vehicles. Two men had exited the SUV brandishing what appeared to be pistols.

"We've got two armed guys down there!" one of the pilots shouted as the helicopter approached, the landings struts mere feet off the ground as it came down for a landing. The sound of gunshots could be heard, as the two men began firing at the aircraft. The occupants heard the sound of something ring off the metal of the helicopter, as one of the bullets made contact with the door.

More people began moving around as the team could make out somebody in the sedan. Somebody in the back frantically gestured to an occupant in the SUV, as one of the doors opened and a man came tearing out into the driver's side door of the sedan. Another person came running from the direction of the shack and leapt into the passenger's side door of the sedan, while the two men with guns began shielding two more individuals who came running from the structure. Hotch could instantly recognize one of the individuals as Reid, while he could make out a gun in the other's hand pressed into Reid's back.

"There's Reid!" Hotch shouted. "Move, now!"

The helicopter touched down and the doors burst open as the SWAT officers all stormed out of the aircraft. The two men with guns fired at the SWAT team as one of the officers returned fire, hitting one of the men as a mist of blood burst from the man's chest as he collapsed.

"Get to the safe house!" the man following Reid with the gun screamed, as he approached the SUV, opening the passenger's side door and shoving Reid inside. The man slammed the door shut as he ducked behind the SUV, making his way to the driver's side door as bullets began ringing off the side of the vehicle as the unsub climbed in before slamming the door shut.

Morgan and Callahan exited the helicopter next as the second man shot at the SWAT team. Another officer fired two shots at the man, hitting him with one bullet in the chest and the other in the head as he collapsed to the ground, his blood almost instantly soaking into the dry desert earth. The sedan roared to life and began speeding away as Morgan desperately shot at the tires. He heard the sound of the back window shatter as his bullets pelted the rear but the vehicle continued to speed away, the occupants uninjured. The engine of the SUV fired up next, roaring away in the opposite direction of the sedan as it left a rooster tail of dust behind in its path.

"Hold your fire!" Morgan screamed at the SWAT officers who were aiming at the SUV. "We've got a federal agent held hostage in there!"

Hotch ran from the helicopter, tossing Morgan a small radio as the EMT came out of the aircraft next.

"JJ could still be inside!" Hotch shouted over the din of the helicopter to Morgan and Callahan, as the SWAT officers raced towards the shack. "Find her, and we'll follow the SUV in the chopper. Contact me on the radio the minute you find anything!"

Morgan nodded as he trailed Callahan towards the shack, the EMT following close behind while Hotch ran back into the helicopter, the aircraft lifting off the ground the minute Hotch stepped inside.

"Follow the SUV!" Rossi shouted to the pilots from inside the helicopter, as the aircraft began gaining altitude, tearing off after the vehicle.

"I'm putting out an APB for the other vehicle now!" Hotch shouted, as he pulled out his cell phone, frantically dialing a number. "They're not going to get far."

The helicopter screamed overtop of the shack as the SWAT officers reached the front door, bursting it open and piling inside, their guns drawn. The four officers nearly instantly filled the small space, as they quickly realized the assailants had all left.

"We've got Agent Jareau!" one of the SWAT officers yelled, as Morgan and Callahan entered the shack, followed by the EMT. Their blood ran cold whey they saw JJ lying motionless in the chair, her shirt soaked in blood as it dripped to the floor.

"JJ!" Morgan hollered, as he holstered his gun and rushed towards her body. Morgan held her face in his hands, trying desperately to wake her.

"Come on, Jennifer…" Morgan pleaded, as Callahan froze by the door of the shack. "Come on, JJ, don't give up on me!"

The EMT entered the shack and immediately rushed towards JJ, quickly opening his medical bag and whipping out a stethoscope.

"Do something!" Morgan hollered, as the EMT began pulling out more equipment.

"You're going to have to step back, agent!" the EMT shouted back, placing the stethoscope on her chest as he listened intently. Morgan slowly backed away from JJ as Callahan approached him, resting a hand on Morgan's shoulder.

"I've got a pulse!" the EMT shouted, pulling the stethoscope away from her body and tossing it back into the bag. "It's extremely weak, but it's there, and her breathing is very shallow."

The EMT lifted JJ's shirt up, exposing the gunshot wound on her stomach as he began stuffing cotton into the area to stop the bleeding.

"Is she going to be okay?" Morgan asked desperately, as Callahan looked on in horror.

"She's lost a lot of blood," the EMT urgently said, "And the location of the wound likely means the bullet has damaged several of her internal organs. She's going to need emergency surgery immediately."

"We'll get an ambulance out here, now!" Callahan cried, as she pulled her phone out.

"We don't have time for that!" the EMT exclaimed. "She needs to get to a hospital now, or else she's not going to make it!"

The EMT pulled a syringe from his bag and injected something into JJ's arm, while he continued trying to stem the bleeding from the wound.

"The helicopter…" Callahan said to Morgan. "They can get to a hospital in twenty minutes."

"Get these handcuffs off of her!" the EMT shouted, as he tried wrapping a blood pressure cuff around JJ's arm.

"I've got it!" Callahan called back, producing her own set of handcuff keys. Morgan grabbed the handheld radio and pressed a button on the side, desperately radioing Hotch in the helicopter.

"Hotch!" Morgan's voice shouted through the radio, his voice ringing out inside the aircraft as the pilots handed a second Radio to Hotch and Rossi in the back of the chopper.

"Did you find her, Morgan?" Rossi called into the radio.

"We've got her, but she's in bad shape." Morgan urgently replied. "The EMT's working on her now, but she's not going to make it unless we get her to a hospital."

Hotch and Rossi quickly exchanged horrified glances.

"You've got to bring the chopper back!" Morgan shouted through the radio. "It's the only way we can get her to a hospital fast enough!"

"Her blood pressure's dropping!" Hotch and Rossi heard the EMT shout from the background through the radio.

"We're going to lose her, Hotch!" Morgan cried. "We need the chopper back here, now!"

Rossi looked at Hotch desperately. They were in an impossible situation. One way or another, they would be abandoning one of their team members for the other.

"We can't let this guy get away." Rossi said to Hotch.

"But we can't let JJ die, either." Hotch replied.

Hotch looked over at Rossi and took a deep breath, every second feeling like an eternity as his mind raced as to what he should do. Finally he set the radio down and approached the pilots, the SUV speeding away in full view out of the cockpit windows.

The SUV sped through the desert, the barren shrub flying past the wheels as the vehicle reached near highway speeds as it tore over the dry, cracked desert ground. The helicopter could be seen in the rear-view mirror as it chased after the vehicle, flying about one hundred feet above the ground as it tailed the SUV. The unsub had secured Reid's handcuffs around an arm rest underneath the door handle on the passenger's side door, immobilizing Reid's hands as he sat terrified in the vehicle.

"This is an armoured SUV…" the man said as he increased the vehicle's speed even more, "They're not going to be able to stop us unless I let them."

Reid glanced in the side mirror at the helicopter, the sound of the rotors slicing through the air getting louder as the aircraft approached.

"Just stop the vehicle!" Reid cried. "The police have found you. My team has got you surrounded, and they're going to get your associates too. It's done. It's over."

The unsub looked over at Reid, smiling.

"It's not over." The man said to Reid, laughing. "No, agent… In fact, we're just getting started."

Suddenly the helicopter increased in altitude and made a sharp turn away from the vehicle as the unsub glanced up to the rear-view mirror, watching the aircraft as it turned around and began speeding away in the opposite direction. The unsub laughed, as he looked over at Reid.

"Well, well, Spencer." the unsub said with a chuckle, "This is going to be even easier than I thought."

Reid watched, devastated as the helicopter began turning around until he slowly realized the reason why. The only reason his team would turn around was if they could help JJ. It would take forever for an ambulance to arrive, but the helicopter would be able to transport her to a hospital in minutes. A glimmer of hope skimmed across Reid's mind. There would be no need to airlift her to a hospital if she was already dead, which could likely mean only one thing. Somehow, after everything that had happened, JJ was still alive.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	15. Chapter 15

The helicopter touched down next to the small shack, a frenzy of activity taking place as the SWAT officers helped carry JJ's body out of the structure while Morgan, Callahan, and the EMT followed close behind.

Hotch and Rossi exited through the open door as the EMT jumped into the helicopter, followed by two of the four SWAT officers who lay JJ's body down on a row of seats. The EMT continued to tend to her wound while Morgan and Callahan hopped into the helicopter along with the two SWAT members, occupying all the seats.

"Stay with her until she gets to the hospital!" Hotch shouted to Morgan and Callahan over the roar of the rotors, "Dave and I will stay here with the other SWAT officers until additional reinforcements arrive."

"We've got to get going!" the EMT shouted, "She needs to get into surgery now!"

"We'll be able to fly to the hospital in just about twenty minutes." One of the pilots exclaimed, "Agent Hotchner has already phoned them, and the surgeons will be waiting as soon as we touch down on their pad."

"We'll let you know the moment we hear from the doctors!" Callahan shouted to Hotch and Rossi just as the door to the helicopter was closed shut and the aircraft accelerated into the sky, heading back towards Los Angeles. Hotch and Rossi braced themselves against the powerful downwash of the Helicopter, a storm of dust and debris being kicked up by the wind as it took off. They watched it climb away as the engine's noise slowly disappeared, leaving nothing but a gentle breeze in the midst of the barren landscape. The silence was haunting.

"Okay." Hotch said, his voice disappearing into the deserted abyss, "I've got reinforcements from the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI on the way with additional vehicles, so they should be here in under an hour. I've also called Chief Hunt and he's put out a bulletin to every law enforcement agency to set up roadblocks on every road leading through, or out of the desert. If this guy tries heading back to L.A, they'll catch him. In the meantime, we need to comb through anything we can find here to see if we can find out where the unsub is taking Reid."

The remaining SWAT officers nodded and headed into the shack. Rossi stood beside Hotch, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand as he looked around the vast emptiness.

"How did this guy even find this place?" Rossi asked quietly as he surveyed his surroundings.

"I don't know." Hotch replied, a dejected tone to his voice.

The two stood in silence for a while longer, the scope of the situation growing ever larger as the minutes passed by. Rossi glanced over at Hotch who was staring, motionless into the distance.

"JJ's going to be okay, Aaron." Rossi said encouragingly. Hotch looked over at Rossi and glanced at the ground.

"I just hope they can get to the hospital before it's too late." Hotch replied.

Rossi sighed and turned around, looking at the shack. The bodies of the two armed men lay in puddles of blood on the desert ground, while the tire marks of the two vehicles slowly faded away with the ever present breeze, dust and dirt blowing over the tracks and almost completely covering them.

"This guy had everything all figured out…" Rossi said slowly, as Hotch turned to face him. "The wind out here covers up any tire tracks, so we can't follow the ones left behind by his car. It's in the middle of nowhere, so nothing can come or go quickly, and he's got the perfect vantage point to see anything approaching for miles."

"Agents!" a voice called from behind the two. Hotch and Rossi turned around as one of the SWAT officers emerged from behind the shack.

"We've found something back here." The officer said. "Looks like an explosive device of some sort. We found it sitting right outside the shack."

"Is it live?" Hotch asked.

"No." the SWAT officer replied. "Doesn't even look armed. I think we interrupted them in the middle of preparing it."

The SWAT officer headed back to the shack, while Hotch and Rossi glanced at each other.

"He brought a bomb out here?" Rossi asked, incredulously. "If he was planning on blowing the place up, why not just do it and leave?"

"That's a good question." Hotch said. "He had more than enough time to use it, so why leave it out here?"

"You think he just used it to scare JJ and Reid?" Rossi asked. Hotch paused, thinking, before an idea flitted through his mind.

"What if the bomb wasn't meant for JJ and Reid?" Hotch replied back after a brief silence. Rossi raised an eyebrow.

"You think this guy had other plans for it?" Rossi asked.

"I think this guy is smarter than we thought." Hotch said. "He's been one step ahead of us this entire time. He's been one step ahead of everyone since he started six years ago. We've already determined he's likely been paying off corrupt individuals in law enforcement to cover his tracks, but he's still got to be exceptionally calculating in order to pull all this off."

"Having help doing something is one thing," Rossi began, "But formulating the plan for what's going to happen is a whole other."

"All of this was pre-planned." Hotch said. "Nothing this unsub does is random. He's had a clear picture in his head since day one of exactly what he wants to have happen."

Rossi looked at Hotch, thinking. "Maybe he also has a plan in case his original one falls through..."

"A backup." Hotch included.

"It's the only thing that makes sense." Rossi exclaimed. "This guy realises that there are variables. He's not going to have one single plan that he hopes will work. He's going to have backups that he can utilize if necessary along the way."

"When we received the first phone call from the unsub," Hotch said, "He was going to give us an address where we'd find the suspect to pass off as the Infinity Killer."

"It's obvious that was going to be a trap, though." Rossi replied. "We would have shown up wherever the guy sent us and gotten ambushed one way or another."

"But the point is, he wants us all dead." Hotch continued. "The bomb would have been complete overkill if he just wanted to get rid of JJ and Reid. It would have attracted too much attention."

"A nearby town could have heard the blast or seen smoke." Rossi included. "He wouldn't risk literally bumping into first responders arriving as he left."

"Exactly." Hotch replied. "The bomb was for something bigger."

"It wasn't meant for Reid and JJ." Rossi exclaimed. "It was meant for us."

"He knew there was always the possibility we would determine his location out here," Hotch, "So he brought it along as a plan 'B'. That way he'd be able to kill us whether we found him or not."

"We were to show up, open the door to the shack, and the rest would take care of itself." Rossi said. "We'd all be dead, and he'd be miles away."

"That's why the SWAT officer thought we interrupted whoever was arming the bomb." Hotch included. "He was right. They were probably getting it ready as soon as we arrived in the helicopter."

"The unsub had to have known we knew his location after JJ managed to call us on his phone, but it didn't matter." Rossi exclaimed. "He came prepared with the bomb anyway."

"He figured he had plenty of time." Hotch included. "He would have been able to see an approaching vehicle at least a good ten or fifteen minutes before they arrived from out here. More than enough time to kill JJ and Reid, arm the bomb and leave."

"He never counted on us arriving by air." Rossi said. "This was the one thing he never saw coming. I don't even think he ever intended to take Reid hostage with him."

"He took Reid simply to use him as a shield." Hotch said. "He knew we wouldn't shoot at them, otherwise we would have risked hitting our agent. Taking Reid was a necessity. The one thing he never planned on."

"And the other thing he never planned on, "Rossi included, "Was JJ escaping. Somehow JJ had to have gotten free to attack the unsub and take the phone."

"Let's head to the shack." Hotch replied. Rossi nodded and the two made their way to the decrepit structure. The door was open, and the SWAT officers were combing through the meagre contents for any hint as to where the unsub might be going. Hotch and Rossi entered, taking in the surroundings.

"That's where he kept them…" Rossi said, pointing to the two chairs. One chair was covered in blood, a small puddle lying on the floor underneath. JJ had to have been sitting there when she was shot.

"Look at this place." Rossi said incredulously as he looked at the table lying in pieces by the door. His eyes scanned the room as he saw the shovel lying on the ground along with the knife and several hypodermic needles. "What's the first thing you notice about this?"

"It's disorganised." Hotch said. "Nothing like this guy's previous crimes scenes."

"There was obviously a struggle in here." Rossi said, pointing to the blood on the blade of the shovel. "JJ must have put up one hell of a fight when she broke free."

"Whatever happened in here was fast and violent." Hotch said. "So why would an unsub who comes prepared for everything lose control of the situation so quickly?"

"He thinks he's invincible." Rossi replied. "He had two federal agents tied up in front of him which did nothing but inflate his ego. He was so convinced that he had done everything right, he didn't even realize when he started making mistakes."

"Somehow JJ was able to get out of the chair." Hotch replied. "That was his first mistake. After that, she attacks him and gets his phone."

"Mistake number two." Rossi said. "Although, he didn't think it would be a problem at the time. He'd already planned for what to do in case we found his location."

"But why not just kill JJ after that?" Hotch asked. "Why prolong the situation and give it more time to get out of hand?"

"The guy was pissed." Rossi said, glancing at the needles strewn all over the floor. "JJ managed to outsmart him, so he had to make her pay."

"These needles could have been used to torture her." Hotch said, gesturing to the syringes on the floor. "He figured he had plenty of time, so took his time injecting her with whatever was in there."

"So the guy gets off on watching her suffer." Rossi said. "Why not kill her after that? Or perhaps a better question is why did he shoot her when he had a knife sitting right there?"

Rossi pointed to the knife lying on the ground between the two chairs.

"This guy only ever kills his victims with a knife." Hotch replied. "That's been his M.O. since he started."

"You'd think it would give him a hell of a lot of satisfaction to cut up a federal agent, yet he doesn't do it." Rossi said, looking around the room. "Instead he shoots JJ in the stomach. If he wanted to kill her with a bullet, he would have aimed for her head or her heart."

"The shooting seems out of place." Hotch replied. "It seems desperate."

Rossi looked over at the second chair, thinking.

"What if JJ wasn't the only one who escaped?" Rossi asked quietly after a brief silence. "When JJ got out, she wouldn't have just let Reid fend for himself. She would have tried to help him."

"Maybe she didn't have time to free him entirely." Hotch replied. "The unsub returned, and that's when she attacked him for the phone."

"But what if he was eventually able to break free?" Rossi replied. "What if Reid got out and tried attacking the unsub again?"

"The unsub saw the situation deteriorating even further and shot JJ simply to regain control." Hotch said. "Things were getting out of hand, so he needed a way to quickly wrap things up."

"We likely arrived just in time before he was able to finish off Reid next." Rossi said.

The two paused, glancing at each other.

"This guy's starting to lose it." Rossi said. "He's making mistakes and acting irrationally. And the worst part is that he's so deluded with his own ego that he's not even going to realize when he starts falling apart."

"We've got to find Reid as soon as possible." Hotch said. "If this guy is devolving as rapidly as we think, anything could set him off and Reid's life is in imminent danger."

* * *

The SUV roared through the scorching desert, the wheels kicking up a trail of dust that soon dissipated with the increasingly strong desert winds. Reid sat helplessly inside, his wrists handcuffed around the arm rest on the door while the unsub sat quietly next to him in the driver's seat. The two had been driving for at least half an hour, seemingly heading nowhere as Reid desperately tried to determine their location. The SUV had finally gotten onto a deserted, paved road that seemed to go on forever into the distance as they sped over the desolate pavement.

"Don't you love the desert?" the man said, breaking the silence in the vehicle. Reid remained silent as he leaned against the seat, his wrists aching after being handcuffed for so long.

"The one place where you can go that has everything and nothing at the same time."

The unsub smiled and glanced at Reid who remained silent.

"Sure, don't talk." The man said sarcastically after a brief pause. "But that's going to make for one very awkward road trip…"

"Where are we going?" Reid finally said, keeping his eyes away from the unsub.

"Oh, I can't tell you that." The unsub replied back. "Let's just say we're reaching the finish line."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reid quietly replied.

"It means this has been fun," the unsub began, "But it's really time to wrap this little adventure up, don't you think? Don't get me wrong, your team has been great. A worthy opponent. Spry, challenging... I'll make sure to thank Aaron for a fun game. But the time has come when we have to pick a winner."

"You're not going to get away with this…" Reid quietly said. The unsub laughed.

"Spencer, I would have thought you might have realized by now that won't be the case." The man replied back with a chuckle. "I've already gotten away with this. Sure, your team may have surprised me with their little aerial attack, but who doesn't love surprises?"

"You don't." Reid replied back. "You think you can predict every outcome, but you never saw this one coming. The only surprises you like are the ones you create."

The unsub laughed, glancing at Reid.

"Just because I may not have seen it coming," the man began, "Doesn't mean I can't still deal with it. Your team is gone. Their little chopper turned around. It's going to be another hour at least before they get vehicles out there, and by then we'll be long gone. There's nothing that's going to be able to stop me."

Reid glanced out the front window when he saw a small cluster of what appeared to be cactuses about a mile ahead sitting a few metres away from the road. He could see another object sitting by the cactuses but couldn't make out what it was given their distance away. He felt the SUV begin to slow, as the unsub noticed the object as well. Reid strained his eyes as the SUV approached, trying to make out what it was. The object was black and white and was reflecting the sunlight as the SUV approached. It looked like a vehicle of some sort. Suddenly, a series of blue and red lights began flashing from the object, as the SUV slowed down even more. They could both make it out clearly now. A police car was sitting at the side of the road. The unsub pulled out his gun and aimed it at Reid.

"Don't say a thing." The unsub said quietly. "We're going to have a nice chat with the officer, and continue on our way."

The unsub fished a road map from a compartment on the bottom of his door and handed it to Reid.

"Hold this and cover your handcuffs with it." The man said quietly. "You pull anything, and you're both dead."

Reid swallowed hard as the SUV slowed down before pulling over in behind the police car. The car was parked horizontally so the front faced the strip of highway, and the officer exited the car as he walked forward to the SUV. The unsub had moved his gun to his left hand and slid it between the seat and the door so it was nearly impossible to see. He smiled at the officer and pressed a small switch next to the door, rolling the window down.

"Afternoon, officer!" the unsub said cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"

The unsub leaned forward in the seat, partially blocking Reid from the officer's view.

"Afternoon, sir." The officer replied back. "Sorry for the inconvenience, but we've received orders from the FBI to stop every vehicle out here."

"FBI?" the unsub replied, "What's going on?"

"There's been a hostage situation involving a federal agent just southwest of Barstow," the officer said, "So we've been requested to inspect every vehicle on the highways out here. "I'll need to take a quick look inside."

"Well, we haven't seen anything out here. We left Lancaster a little while ago for Newberry Springs," the unsub lied, "So I guess we would have been driving right in the thick of it."

"Newberry Springs, eh?" the officer replied back, scratching his head. He looked at the unsub quizzically. "You folks are heading in the wrong direction, then. This takes you direct to L.A."

The unsub smiled and laughed awkwardly as the officer glanced over at Reid, his handcuffs sticking out slightly from underneath the crumpled road map. He darted his eyes towards the unsub, reaching for his gun.

"Sir, step out of the-"

The unsub quickly pulled his gun from between the seats as gunfire shattered the silence of the desert. Reid gasped as the unsub pulled the trigger, once, twice, three times. An additional two more gunshots screamed through the silence as the officer fell backwards, five trickles of blood beginning to pour from his shirt as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest. The unsub calmly stepped out of the SUV and walked towards the officer, gasping as he lay dying on the ground. The man crouched down, pulling the officer's gun from his holster and stood over him, smiling.

"Sorry officer." The unsub said calmly. He glanced towards the patrol car before smiling and turning back.

"Oh… And thanks for the car."

Reid squeezed his eyes shut as the sound of a sixth gunshot echoed throughout the silence. The unsub calmly walked towards the police car, opening the driver's side door. He fished around the front for a while before he produced a light black jacket, police logos covering the garment. He slipped it on, zipping it up over his clothes before he headed to the rear of the vehicle, opening the back door. The back of the car was configured for transporting criminals, as bars covered each door and separated the rear seat from the driver. The unsub smiled as he walked back towards the SUV, pulling the passenger's side door open as Reid was pulled from the vehicle by his handcuffs.

"Well," the unsub began as he unlocked one of Reid's cuffs, freeing him from the arm rest on the door. "Things just got a whole lot easier."

The unsub pulled Reid free from the door as he held the officer's gun to his head, pushing him towards the back of the police car. He shoved Reid inside and slammed the door shut before climbing into the driver's seat.

The unsub closed the door as he glanced around the vehicle. The keys were still in the ignition and the engine was running. The officer has left the emergency lights on, as the red and blue lights reflected off the pavement of the highway. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at Reid who was sitting helplessly in the caged rear of the vehicle.

"It may seem counter intuitive," the man began as he released the parking brake, driving the car forward, "But sometimes the best way to go un-noticed… Is to draw the most attention to yourself."

The man smiled as he reached towards a small switchbox, flipping the siren on as the emergency lights flashed. The man chuckled as he pulled the car onto the highway before stepping on the accelerator, the patrol car screaming down the road as it sped towards Los Angeles, the SUV soon becoming nothing more than a speck in the mirrors of the vehicle as it began the drive back to civilization.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	16. Chapter 16

Callahan sat in the bleak hospital waiting room, watching a large digital clock on the wall flip over to one thirty in the afternoon while Morgan slowly paced behind her. JJ had been in surgery for just under an hour and a half after their arrival in the helicopter. The wait was agonizing as they sat, anxiously waiting for somebody to give them news about her condition. Morgan's phone produced a quick chime and he pulled it from his pocket, looking at the screen.

"That was Hotch." Morgan said quietly to Callahan. "They're almost back in L.A."

Callahan looked up at Morgan, surprised.

"That was fast..." Callahan said quietly.

"Hotch said the chopper returned to bring them back to L.A. before the other vehicles arrived." Morgan replied. "CSI is out there now processing the scene, but they still don't have any clues as to where the unsub took Reid."

Callahan glanced up at Morgan.

"I don't believe this…" Callahan said quietly. "Reid's missing while JJ's in there fighting for her life, and we still have no idea who the son of a bitch responsible for all this is."

Morgan sighed and sat down next to her. The waiting room was horribly depressing. Cheap fluorescent lights illuminated the sterile grey area, while various noises from machinery and hospital equipment echoed through the bleak hallway.

"I know, Kate." Morgan said as Callahan stared at the floor. Callahan took a shaky breath before looking at Morgan.

"What are we going to do, Derek?" Callahan asked desperately. "This guy is going to keep on hurting our team if we continue looking for him."

Morgan stared at the wall, trying to come up with an answer.

"I don't know." Morgan replied solemnly. "But we can't give up. This guy might be smart, but he's not perfect. We're going to catch him."

"But at what cost?" Callahan replied back. "We don't even know if JJ's going to make it, and we have no idea what he's doing to Reid. How much more are we going to put our own team through just to catch this guy?"

Morgan rested his hand on Callahan's arm, trying to comfort her.

"He's not just going to disappear with Reid." Morgan said. "An egomaniac like him won't be able to keep us in the dark for long. Sooner rather than later he's going to need to brag."

Callahan paused and looked at Morgan.

"Do you think he's going to try and contact us again?" Callahan asked.

"I think he has to." Morgan replied. "He's going to parade around puffing his chest, rubbing our faces in the fact that he has Reid, and sent JJ to the hospital. But that's not going to be good enough for him. He's not going to stop terrorizing our team until we catch him."

"Or he catches us." Callahan replied.

The two looked at each other before Morgan's phone chimed again and he pulled it out, looking at the screen.

"Hotch and Rossi are about twenty minutes away from the police headquarters." Morgan replied. "They're landing at a private helipad a few minutes away and are getting a ride back to H.Q."

"Okay." Callahan replied. "Are you going to meet them there?"

"I don't want you waiting here alone." Morgan replied.

"Its fine, Derek." Callahan replied. "Go."

"You're sure?" Morgan asked.

Callahan smiled and looked at him.

"I'll be fine." She said. "Hotch and Rossi will appreciate the help."

Morgan stood up, putting his phone back into his pocket.

"Okay." He said. "But call me the minute you hear anything about JJ."

"I will." Callahan said, as Morgan left the waiting area. She sighed, glancing around the bleak room before focusing back on the digital clock hanging on the wall.

* * *

The clock's digits read two o'clock in the afternoon in the vehicle as it pulled up to the Los Angeles Police Department's headquarters. The vehicle was an LAPD SUV, and Hotch and Rossi opened the doors and stepped out after the short drive from the Helipad. Morgan emerged from the building with Chief Hunt as they met Hotch and Rossi outside the SUV.

"Agents, I heard what happened." Chief Hunt said as he approached Hotch and Rossi as they stood outside the vehicle. "I've sent Agent Reid's photo throughout the entire force, so all my officers will be on the lookout for him."

The SUV pulled away from the building as everybody stood outside in the heat of the sun.

"Thank you, Chief." Hotch said, his voice sombre. "Any word on JJ?"

"She's still in surgery." Morgan replied. "Callahan's waiting at the hospital."

"This guy could be anywhere by now." Chief Hunt replied, defeated. "None of my officers patrolling any of the roadblocks you set up have reported anything suspicious. They've been stopping and inspecting every car going through that desert, so if he tried to leave, they would have caught him."

The group began walking back inside the building as the Chief led the way and held the main door open.

"He can't be staying out there forever." Morgan said, as the group entered the door and began making their way through the hallway. "Those roadblocks are going to stay put until we've found him."

Everybody piled into the large briefing room when Chief Hunt's phone began to ring. He glanced at the others and quickly pulled it from his pocket.

"This is Chief Kevin Hunt." He said into the phone. The others glanced at each other as his brow furrowed.

"Wait, what?" the chief exclaimed. There was a brief pause, as the sound of somebody on the other end of the line could be heard talking.

"Was there a light colored SUV at the scene?" Hunt demanded into the phone. "Okay… Thank you."

Chief Hunt pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the team, a desperate look in his eye.

"A motorist just found the body of a highway patrol officer lying dead in the middle of a road outside of Barstow." He said urgently. "A white SUV was abandoned at the scene, and the officer's gun and patrol car was gone."

Morgan slammed his fist against one of the tables.

"Son of a bitch!" Morgan shouted. "That's how he got through the roadblocks. He killed one of the officers and took his squad car."

"Nobody's going to pull over a police car." Rossi said slowly. "He could have gone anywhere he wanted with it."

"That road the officer was found on takes you right back to L.A." Chief Hunt exclaimed. "Give me five minutes and I'll get the ident number from the car the officer was driving. We'll put an APB out on the vehicle immediately!"

The chief ran from the room as the team looked at each other in disbelief.

"If the SUV was abandoned, he had to have taken Reid with him." Hotch said.

"It would have been easy in a police car." Rossi exclaimed. "He probably just locked Reid in the back. There's no way to get out of there unless an officer unlocks the door from the outside."

"What the hell is this guy's endgame?" Morgan demanded. "A narcissist like him wouldn't just take Reid for the heck of it. He's going to turn this into a production like everything else he's done. He wants an audience."

"And he's probably returning to L.A." Rossi said. "In fact, he's likely been here for a while since he got a head start. Not to mention the speed limit wouldn't have been an issue if he came tearing back down in a police car."

Suddenly, Hotch's phone began to ring from his pocket. Everybody in the room froze as he picked it up.

"The number's blocked." Hotch said quickly to the team as he looked at the screen, the phone vibrating in his hand. It couldn't be Callahan calling about JJ.

"This is it." Rossi said. Hotch gave him a knowing glance while Morgan looked at the two.

"You know what to do." Rossi said mysteriously. Morgan shot a confused glance at Rossi while Hotch took a deep breath and tapped the screen, putting the phone into speaker mode. There was silence on the other line.

"This is SSA Hotchner." Hotch said after a short pause.

"Hello Aaron." A high, quiet voice replied back. Everyone recognized it instantly. It was the same haunting voice that called the team before. It was the Infinity Killer.

"You lied to us." Hotch said into the phone, his voice low and expressionless. "You said if we did what you asked, you would let my agents go."

"That makes two of us liars, Aaron." The voice replied. "You said you were going to cooperate, and suddenly you show up with your little helicopter stunt."

"I was scared." Hotch replied. Morgan glanced at him. His unit chief could be many things, but 'scared' was never one of them. Laughter came from the other end of the phone.

"I would hope so, agent." The voice replied.

"I was scared you were going to hurt my agents, and I acted irrationally." Hotch replied. "I'm sorry."

Morgan knew exactly what Hotch was trying to do. He was going to get the unsub to think the team had given up, and that he was finally in control.

"Well, you've got nobody but yourself to thank for what's happened." The voice responded. "Poor little Jenny is dead, and Spencer is here with me."

"Is Agent Reid hurt?" Hotch asked emotionlessly.

"He's still alive, if that's what you're wondering." The man replied. "But he won't be for long."

"Don't kill him." Hotch said.

"You've left me with little choice, Aaron." The voice replied. "You're not going to cooperate with me, regardless of what I offer you for his return."

"Well let me offer you this." Hotch said. "Let's trade."

Morgan looked at him in shock, while silence fell upon the other end of the line.

"We'll trade." Hotch repeated after a brief silence. "I'll take Agent Reid's place. You can have me. You can do whatever you want with me, but let Agent Reid go. Let him live."

"Well, that is an interesting offer." The voice responded after a short pause.

"I'll meet you." Hotch said.

"Hold on, agent." The voice replied. "I never said that I was on board."

"I'm the one you want." Hotch replied. "Not Agent Reid. The FBI doesn't care about him. You could kill him, and nobody would blink an eye. There are a couple dozen more just like him lining up to take the job."

Morgan grimaced. He knew Hotch didn't mean any of what he was saying, but couldn't figure out what he was trying to do. He desperately looked at Rossi who stood next to Hotch, a subtle look of understanding in his eyes.

"Me on the other hand-" Hotch began.

"Oh, you don't have to explain." The voice interrupted. "You've piqued my interest, Aaron."

"Meet me at the Pike at Rainbow Harbour." Hotch said.

"If we're going to do this, we're going to play by my rules." The voice replied. "I will determine the location, Aaron."

"Fine." Hotch replied coldly. "Where do you suggest?" There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.

"We'll meet at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica." The voice announced. "There's a fountain shaped like a dinosaur on the promenade just west of Arizona Ave. Arrive alone on the bench facing the fountain. 3:30, today."

Hotch whipped his eyes towards his watch. It was just approaching ten after two in the afternoon. They had almost an hour and a half.

"No police." The voice continued. "No SWAT. No plain-clothes officers. You are to arrive alone, and un-armed. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Hotch replied back.

"Good." The voice said. "If you bring any weapons or the police, rest assured that Agent Reid will be dead when you arrive."

"I understand." Hotch said.

"Be there on the bench, and leave the rest to me." The voice said, before the phone went dead. Hotch made sure the call was disconnected and put his phone back into his pocket. The room was silent.

"You ready to do this?" Rossi asked. Morgan looked at the two incredulously.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" he demanded, staring at Hotch and Rossi. "You can't do this Hotch, he's going to kill you and Reid!"

"I know." Hotch replied back as Morgan stared at him in disbelief. "Dave and I had a while to talk while we were waiting for the helicopter back in the desert."

"We think we might have finally come up with a plan." Rossi said. "No one's going to like it… But it might just work."

"A plan?" Morgan asked incredulously. "Why the hell am I just learning about this now?"

"Because the unsub's just walked right into it with that phone call." Rossi replied.

"Does anybody else know about this?" Morgan asked, looking at Hotch and Rossi.

"Nobody else _can_ know." Hotch said. "We can't trust the LAPD, or the FBI. We have no idea how many contacts the Infinity Killer has inside each organization."

"We have to assume that any information we give to the police or the FBI," Rossi began, "Could end up in the hands of the infinity killer."

"So we're doing this all by ourselves?" Morgan asked. "Just the three of us?"

"It'll be enough." Hotch replied.

Chief Hunt came rushing back into the room.

"The car he took is number 448!" Hunt exclaimed as he entered the room. "It'll have 448 decaled on the hood, roof, and trunk. I'm letting all my officers know and they'll keep an eye out for it."

"Good." Hotch said. "Thank you. But there's been a new development."

Chief hunt stared at Hotch.

"What the hell's happened now?" the chief asked incredulously.

"The Infinty Killer just contacted me." Hotch said. "He wants to meet at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. 3:30, today."

"Why would he want to do that?" the chief replied back, confused.

"He's going to let Agent Reid go, and take me instead." Hotch said. "That's the deal. He thinks I'm going to arrive alone where he'll trade me for Agent Reid. What he doesn't know is that we're going to be there waiting."

"This will have to be the mother of all sting operations." Rossi said, as Morgan looked on. "We'll need plain-clothes officers all over the perimeter. They need to be wired, and armed."

Chief hunt looked at the two, nodding.

"Okay." He said. "The promenade's a pretty busy place, so it'll be easy to disguise my officers as tourists and shoppers. I'll get an entire team dispatched out there, now."

"We've got to be subtle." Hotch replied. "If the Infinity Killer finds out the police are there, he's going to kill agent Reid."

"I'll make sure there's no visible presence." Hunt replied, "But the entire place will be covered. I'll have cruisers waiting nearby, and as soon as agent Reid is released, we'll move in. I'll put a team together right now!"

Hunt rushed out of the room as Morgan looked at Hotch and Rossi.

"What the hell are you doing?" Morgan snapped at Hotch. "The guy said no cops, and we're dispatching an entire undercover force? You guys just said we can't give any information to the police and you've told Hunt our entire plan."

"Derek…" Rossi said, trying to calm him down, "We've told Chief Hunt the plan that the Infinity Killer expects to hear. We know that whatever the police knows, he knows, so what better way to make him think he's won than to tell them exactly what he thinks we're going to do?"

"The Infinity Killer's going to hear about this," Hotch replied, "And he's going to expect us along with the entire force at the Promenade. What he doesn't know, is that we're not even going to be there."

"You have to trust us." Rossi said as he reached into his coat, pulling out three small cell phones from his pocket as he handed them out.

"From now on, we use these." Rossi announced. "Disposable cells. Nobody knows we have these but us."

"Why the hell do we need these?" Morgan asked incredulously, taking the cell phone from Rossi.

"We'll fill you in on everything on the road." Hotch said. "We've got to get going."

"So if we're not going to the Promenade, then where the hell are we going?" Morgan asked. Rossi turned around, looking at him.

"We're going to save Reid and catch this son of a bitch once and for all."

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	17. Chapter 17

A convoy of police cars screeched out of the parking lot behind the Los Angeles Police Department's Headquarters, their sirens wailing as they screamed from the building and through the traffic to get to the Third Street Promenade. There were at least ten marked cruisers along with four or five undercover vehicles that came tearing from the building as Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi watched as they sat together in their SUV. The drive would take about 45 minutes to get to the Promenade from Downtown Los Angeles. Just enough time for the officers to set up at the location before Hotch and the Infinity Killer arrived.

"I've got a tactical team setting up on the surrounding buildings," Chief Hunt said through Hotch's cell phone as he held it to his ear in the SUV, "And I've already got a few plain-clothes officers around the perimeter. The rest are leaving HQ right now, and should be established about a half an hour before you arrive."

"Thank you, Chief." Hotch replied back. "I'll arrive a few minutes before 3:30, and agents Morgan and Rossi will each arrive separately in undercover vehicles about ten minutes prior."

"Okay." Chief Hunt replied back from the other end of the line. "We'll see you then."

Hotch tapped the screen and set the phone down. He looked over at Morgan and Rossi in the vehicle.

"Does anybody have any questions before we do this?" Hotch asked.

"I think we're set, Aaron." Rossi replied. "Derek?"

"I'm ready." Morgan replied.

The two looked over at Hotch who was sitting in the driver's seat. He was wearing his Kevlar FBI vest over a solid white shirt, his gun strapped in its holster on his belt. Hotch glanced in the rear-view mirror as he briefly adjusted his red tie before turning back towards the others.

"We use the disposables." Hotch said, as the others nodded. "You know what to do when you receive my text."

"Be careful, Aaron." Rossi said, opening the door and stepping out of the SUV. Morgan opened the back door and stepped out as well, closing the door behind him as he stood with Rossi outside.

Hotch glanced down at the clock in the SUV. It was approaching quarter to three in the afternoon.

"It's time." Hotch said. "Let's do this."

Rossi gave a quick nod as Hotch pulled away from the building, merging into the traffic as he drove away from the others. Rossi sighed and looked at Morgan.

"You ready, Derek?" Rossi asked.

"Let's catch his guy." Morgan replied, as the two rushed away from the building.

Hotch gripped the wheel of the vehicle tightly as he stared ahead of him, moving through the bustling streets of Los Angeles. He glanced at the clock, his heart thumping in his chest as he deliberately breathed in and out, desperately trying keeping his nerves in check. The vehicle was quiet except for the muted sounds of the traffic around him as Hotch slowly took deep breaths, trying to focus his mind entirely on the road in front of him. Suddenly his phone began to ring, piercing the silence. Slightly startled, Hotch glanced down as the screen of the phone lit up while it rang. He reached down and picked it up, tapping the screen to answer the call.

"This is SSA Hotchner." Hotch said quietly.

"Change of plans." The voice replied from the other end of the line. It was the same ghostly voice who had called Hotch before.

"I'm at the Lakewood Cinemas." The voice replied. "Take the I 110 South, then the San Diego Freeway East."

"I thought we were meeting at the Promenade." Hotch replied.

"As I said," the voice responded, "Change of plans. I'm still expecting you at 3:30. Arrive alone, and tell no one about where you're going."

"Okay." Hotch responded. "I'll be there soon."

Hotch lowered the phone from his ear and tapped the screen, ending the call. He hurriedly pulled out the disposable cell, quickly typing a text message as he sat at a red light. Just as the light turned green, Hotch sent the text before making a sharp left turn, heading south. He breathed a sigh of relief as the vehicle picked up speed, heading away from the downtown core towards the strangely reassuring unknown.

* * *

Hotch had spent about half an hour on the road before he turned into a small parking lot, a few minutes away from the highway. He turned the SUV off, looking around before he stepped out into the sun. The parking lot was surrounded in tall deciduous trees, blocking the view of the surrounding city as Hotch gently closed the door of the SUV behind him and began walking towards a small shopping complex. Two rows of buildings stood on either side of a cobblestone pedestrian walkway scattered with benches and palm trees as Hotch began slowly walking through the area. The buildings were mostly composed of red brick and almost all had hanging signs dangling outside their front doors, jetting over the peaceful walkway between the stores. Hotch looked around as he walked down the path. There was a café a little ways down the cobblestone walk as people gathered around on outdoor patio-style seats, sipping their beverages in the heat of the day. A few people were milling around, but nobody seemed to take notice of his FBI vest as Hotch continued down the path. He took a deep breath, resting his hand over his gun as he approached a larger building in the middle of the row of establishments. He looked at it, slowing down. It looked to be the largest building in the complex, and was constructed to resemble a retro-style movie theatre. A fading sign read 'Lakewood Cinemas' over the entrance, and a few withered movie posters hung from the front of the building in broken display cases. Hotch glanced around before gently pushing on the front door. It creaked open as Hotch slowly made his way inside to the lobby, his eyes scanning the room as he slowly walked in.

The lobby had worn red carpeting and a large concession area to the left of a small set of steps that led further into the cinema. Hotch heard music playing from somewhere in the building; a slow, 1950's instrumental piece that echoed throughout the deserted structure as Hotch slowly walked to the set of steps. The entire building was dusty, and looked like it hadn't been open for business in years. The concession stand was bare, and the steps creaked under Hotch's footsteps as he slowly ascended them before reaching a long, wide hallway that led to five or six different theatres. Hotch's heart was pounding as he began walking down the hallway. An old vending machine stood along the side of the hall, while more posters of various films hung from the dimly lit walls. The lights were low, and casted strange shadows along the floor in the dim building as Hotch began moving towards the back of the hallway. He glanced around at each pair of doors leading to the theatres. They were all closed, except for one at the very last theatre at the end of the hallway.

Hotch took a deep breath as he continued slowly walking down the hall. The music was growing louder, coming from the open door. Hotch swallowed hard as he made out the movie poster hanging next to the open door leading to the last theatre. A young Matthew Broderick and Patricia Arquette were featured on the front of the poster. 'Infinity' was the film's title, written in neat red letters near the bottom. It was dated 1996. Hotch took a deep breath before he slowly moved through the door entering a small, dark theatre. He paused, looking around. About fifteen rows of tired, red seats filled the theatre as they led down to an empty, black screen. Hotch was about to slowly descend the long set of steps leading down the rows of seats, when the sound of a gun cocking suddenly echoed behind his head.

"Turn around." A voice said. "And put your hands in the air."

Hotch swallowed before slowly turning around. A gun was being held mere inches from his head as he stared emotionlessly into the face of the person holding it.

"Hi, Agent." The woman said. Officer Genevieve Wilson stood smiling, holding the gun as she stood before Hotch. "Remember me?"

Hotch remembered the woman clearly. The team had met her soon after their arrival at the Los Angeles Police Department's Headquarters a few days prior.

"Take off your vest." Wilson said slowly, her awkward attitude the team had picked up back at the station now replaced with a cold, evil defiance.

Hotch stared right at the woman as he slowly undid the Velcro straps holding his Kevlar vest against his body before slipping it off, gently tossing it to the floor. Wilson reached down to Hotch's holster hanging from his belt and pulled his gun out, smiling as she put it into her own pocket.

"Get against the wall." Wilson demanded, gesturing towards a bulkhead to the left of the first row of seats. "Arms and legs apart."

Hotch slowly moved towards the wall, standing with his legs slightly apart and his arms in the air.

"Frisk him." Wilson said, as footsteps could be heard approaching. A man appeared from outside the doorway and began running his hands over Hotch's body, searching for weapons. The man ran his hands past Hotch's arms, then along the sides of his chest. He moved to his legs, where he stopped, pulling a cell phone and FBI badge from Hotch's right pocket. The man held the objects up to Officer Wilson who rolled her eyes.

"He can keep them." Wilson said, as the man stuffed the phone and badge back into Hotch's pocket. "What's he going to do? Call the police?"

Wilson laughed as the man ran his hands down Hotch's legs, before stopping at one of his ankles. The man lifted up Hotch's pant leg, exposing a small ankle holster holding a Glock 26 next to his leg. The man removed the gun, putting it into his pocket as he nodded at Officer Wilson, satisfied.

"Rough him up a bit for bringing the guns." Wilson said. Hotch felt the man pull him away from the wall before his fist slammed into Hotch's side. Hotch groaned as the man struck him again in the kidney, sending him crashing to the ground in pain. The man pulled Hotch up by the back of his shirt before slamming him into the side of a seat on the top row and pushing him to the floor. Hotch grimaced as the man delivered a powerful kick to his stomach, before shoving him towards the stairs where he fell down four rows before hitting a seat and coming to a stop.

"That's enough." Wilson barked, watching as Hotch lay on the stairs, groaning in pain.

"Thank you Genevieve." A voice suddenly called out from the bottom of the theatre. "Doug... You two can wait outside now."

Hotch glanced up as Officer Wilson and the man nodded before walking back out the door to the theatre, closing it behind them. Hotch shakily got to his feet as he stood up, his body aching as he stared down at the screen. A tall man slowly came walking from the corner of the theatre, smiling as he began climbing the stairs to meet Hotch.

"Hello Aaron." The man said, as he pulled a gun from his coat, holding it towards Hotch as he slowly approached. Hotch studied the man as he stared at him coldly. He had neat blonde hair and a youthful face. His clothing was immaculate, as he strutted forward in his blue sport coat and dark Khakis. Hotch stared into the man's cold, dead eyes while the man stared right back, a taunting smile on his face. He slowly walked up the stairs to Hotch before stopping, standing a few feet away with his gun pointed at Hotch's chest.

"Glad you could make it, agent." The man said, "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	18. Chapter 18

Hotch stood motionless in the darkened theatre as the Infinity Killer stood in front of him, pointing his gun towards Hotch with a sick smile on his face.

"Where's Agent Reid?" Hotch demanded, his voice deadly serious. The man laughed and slightly lowered his gun.

"Wow, you just cut right to the chase, don't you?" The man began in a cavalier tone. "After everything that's happened, we finally meet face to face and that's the first thing you can think of to say to me?"

"We had a deal." Hotch replied.

"A deal that you broke, Aaron." The unsub replied back. "You were to meet me at the Promenade alone, and the next thing I know, you're dispatching the entire police force out there."

"I just wanted to get Reid back safely." Hotch said.

"You wanted to catch me, Aaron." The unsub replied with a chuckle. "You wanted me to walk right into your trap, but I saw it coming a mile away. Your sting at the Promenade was predictable. I knew as soon as you put the phone down you'd have the entire force sent out there waiting for me."

"So you had this planned all along." Hotch said.

The man smiled, staring into Hotch's eyes.

"That's right, agent." The unsub replied coldly. "You thought I was going to walk into your trap, while this entire time you've been walking straight into mine. Look at you… You're here all alone. Your gun is gone. Your team is gone. They're at the Promenade, along with half the entire police force thanks to you. We're at completely different ends of the city and even if by some miracle they do figure out where you are, I'll be long gone before they finally drive down here to find you."

Hotch remained silent while the unsub laughed.

"Look, Aaron." The man began, "Here's the thing… You're a smart guy, but you're… _Short-sighted_. You fail to realize that sometimes it's the folks right under your nose that are on the opposite team."

"Officer Wilson." Hotch said coldly.

"Genevieve Wilson…" The unsub replied back slowly. "I've always liked her. She's very skilled at getting people to trust her with that little misfit charade she puts on."

"She was working for you the whole time." Hotch replied.

"Oh, not just her." The man replied back. "Granted, she's one of the better ones, but I've got a few contacts in the police force that were able to tip me off about your developments every step of the way. As soon as the LAPD learned about your sting at the Promenade, so did I."

"I know how you control people with money." Hotch replied. "How you manipulate them into doing what you want."

"It's not manipulation, Agent." The man replied. "It's a business transaction. Everybody has a price."

"How many people like Officer Wilson do you have?" Hotch asked. The unsub smiled and gave a quick laugh.

"I've got contacts here and there." The man replied. "A few in the police force. One in the FBI. A few others scattered around. It's no empire by any stretch of the imagination, but I like it that way. More than enough to get the job done, yet small enough to keep it all contained."

"That's how you knew so much about our team." Hotch said. "You accessed our classified files through your contact in the FBI."

"Very good, Aaron." The man said scornfully. "But your insight comes too late."

"Where is Agent Reid?" Hotch demanded.

The unsub sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" the man said.

"Tell me where he is." Hotch said, raising his voice slightly. The unsub laughed and began walking down the stairs to the bottom of the theatre by the screen.

"Spencer!" the unsub yelled melodramatically into the theatre. "Visiting hours!"

The man gestured for Hotch to follow him down as he raised his gun, tracking Hotch with the weapon as he descended the stairs to the bottom of the theatre. Hotch reached the last row of seats when he heard a muffled whimper to his left. He wheeled around, spotting Reid lying flat across the seats on the bottom row. Reid's mouth was taped shut, and his arms and legs were zip-tied together as he lay on the row of seats, his eyes darting towards Hotch. A portable CD player sat on the seat next to Reid's feet playing the haunting music that filled the dark theatre.

"Reid…" Hotch cried, as he rushed towards him.

"Don't touch him." The man replied, holding the gun towards Hotch. Hotch stopped, quickly looking over Reid before he turned back towards the unsub. There wasn't any blood on him, so it didn't appear as if Reid was severely injured. The unsub slowly walked around Hotch and pressed a button on the CD player, abruptly stopping the music.

"Unlike you," the unsub began, "I hold up my end of the deal. You wanted Agent Reid alive, so here he is."

"You have me now." Hotch replied. "Let him go. He's not the one you want. Let him go, and take me instead."

The unsub laughed as he walked around the two.

"You really thought it was going to be that simple, Aaron?" the unsub asked. "You were going to show up, and I was just going to release Doctor Reid as if nothing happened?"

"That was the deal." Hotch replied.

"The deal…" The unsub replied mockingly. "You and your deals, Aaron. Did you really think it was going to work that way?"

The man took a seat on the small stage in front of the screen, his legs dangling inches from the floor as he slowly swung his feet, watching Hotch and Reid with a smile.

"It's not going to be as simple as that." The unsub replied. "Unfortunately I _can't_ let Agent Reid go. I never could. You see, he knows too much. He's a loose end that just has to be… Tied up."

"You don't have to kill him." Hotch said.

"Not just him." The unsub replied. "Spencer's not the only lose end in this room. I'm afraid you are too, Aaron."

"So after all of this, we're supposed to die?" Hotch asked the unsub.

"It's the only way this could have concluded." The unsub replied.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Hotch said as the unsub rolled his eyes with a pained smile.

"Please, Aaron." The man snapped. "Enlighten me."

"All this time you've been trying to kill my entire team." Hotch replied. "You haven't come close. This isn't the way you want this to end. This is what you've settled for."

The unsub hopped off the stage and began slowly walking towards Hotch and Reid.

"At first I thought the same thing." The unsub said, "I thought I would only be content once I'd taken everybody on your team down. But I soon realized that there was an easier way. The one I really had to go after was you."

The unsub approached Hotch, smiling.

"See, Aaron," the man began, "A team is only as strong as their leader. Once the leader goes, the rest of the team comes crashing down. So what better way to get the BAU off my case, than by getting rid of good ol' Agent Hotchner once and for all?"

"If you want to kill me, that's fine." Hotch replied. "But you didn't need to drag my other agents into this."

"Oh, but I did, Aaron." The man said, smiling. "It was just the icing on the cake. The team's leader along with two of their agents dead… Now if that doesn't drive the message home that I don't want you guys looking into me, I don't know what will."

"You think you're doing all this to show off." Hotch said. "You think you're doing this to scare us, but the real reason is because you're afraid. You know as well as I do that my team was going to find you, so you had to make sure you got rid of the competition."

"You and I aren't that different, Aaron." The unsub said. "We're both powerful men. Strong leaders, with many resources. You can say a lot about me but I do give credit where credit is deserved, and your team is as good as it gets. Unfortunately I had to make sure I got you out of the way."

"You were scared that we were going to find you." Hotch replied.

"I'm never scared." The man said. "Just cautious."

"You can call it whatever you want," Hotch hissed, "But I can see right through you. I know exactly what you are."

The unsub laughed before looking at Hotch, a depraved look of amusement in his eyes.

"Listen to us, Aaron." The unsub said, chuckling. "We're like bickering children, fighting in the sandbox. We volley these little jabs back and forth at each other, but we both know that's not going to change anything. Don't you understand that whatever you say now is worthless? Your fate is sealed. There's nothing you can do to change that."

"So this is it?" Hotch asked. "This is the end? After all these years, you're just going to kill the two of us and call it a day?"

The unsub smiled as he looked at Hotch.

"That's going to be the end of this round." The man said, chuckling. "But the whole game isn't over. Far from it. Once I've finished in here I'm just going to walk away, free as a bird like I always do. That's the beauty of all this. I do all my planning ahead of time, so there's very little cleanup to worry about before I leave. Officer Wilson will make sure there's nothing incriminating to be found here when CSI processes the scene, and I'll disappear a mystery, just like I always do."

"So that's it?" Hotch asked, his voice low and sombre.

The man walked towards Hotch, smiling.

"I'm not going to stop killing, if that's what you're inferring." The unsub announced. "I might slow down for a while. Take some time off and enjoy the scenery. But I'm never going to stop. Believe me, I've thought about calling it a day. I've tried giving it a rest, but… No such luck. There's something about what I do that just keeps me coming back for more."

"You're a psychopathic narcissist." Hotch replied coldly. "You can't stop because you feed off the fear of your victims. You crave the look in their eyes as you cut them open while you watch the life leave their body. It makes you feel powerful. It temporarily makes you forget about your own insecurities. Your own failures. And just for a moment you feel like something other than the sick, pathetic, nobody that you really are."

The unsub glared at Hotch, his smile slowly fading.

"Agent Reid said the same thing." Hotch replied. "Granted, a little more eloquently, but it was the same general idea. The fact of the matter is that I can't stop, and I won't. And there's nothing you can do about it."

The man slowly walked towards Hotch, his smug smile returning.

"Look, I know you're used to being the winner, Aaron." The man said. "You're used to being the cleverest person in the room. All you profilers are. You think there's not a single mind you can't worm your way into. Not a single 'un-sub' you can't catch."

The man walked back over to the stage and sat down, staring at Hotch.

"Look, here's the problem, boys." The man said mockingly. "Your entire team may be clever, but you're conceited. Each and every one of you. That whole title of 'profiler' has gone to your heads, and you can't even conceive the notion that somebody is cleverer than you."

The man smiled, cocking his head slightly to one side as he stared at the two agents.

"That's how I've been one step ahead this entire time." The unsub said proudly. "It was trivial, really."

"You might think you're the best, but you're wrong." Hotch replied. "We already know how you've gotten away with your crimes for so long. You pay off dirty cops. Corrupt officials in law enforcement. You're nothing great. You're just an evil, delusional egomaniac with too much money on your hands."

The unsub rolled his eyes as he glared at Hotch.

"There you go again with the insults…" The man hissed. "Do they teach you that at the FBI academy? Piss off the perp in a hostage situation to get your way? It's a little childish, don't you think?"

The man slowly smiled at Hotch.

"Jennifer pulled the same thing with the attitude." The unsub snarled. "And look where that got her? That's why she's dead, agent."

Hotch's face didn't flinch as he stared at the unsub. The man casually hopped off the stage and began walking towards Hotch and Reid.

"You know what your problem is, Aaron?" the unsub said slowly. "You're relentless. You just keep digging, and searching, and working until you get what you want. It must be hell inside your head, really. Sure, your team views you as dedicated, but I see it as desperate. You can't let anything go. You're like a dog with a bone."

The unsub held the gun up, pointing it at Hotch.

"Listen, this has been fun." The man said, smiling. "But I think it's time we wrap things up. Look, I'm sorry it has to end this way, but I don't want to be the bone anymore. I've come to the distinct conclusion that the only way for that to happen… Is to shoot the dog."

"If you're going to kill us," Hotch began, "I at least have the right to ask for one favour before I die."

The unsub smiled, approaching Hotch with the gun.

"Oh, this had better be good." The man quietly chortled as he stared straight into Hotch's eyes.

"Let me call my son to say goodbye." Hotch replied. The unsub looked at him, saying nothing.

"If this is the way it has to end, I at least want to say a proper goodbye to my son." Hotch said. "You at least owe me that."

"I don't owe you anything, Aaron." The man replied coldly.

"If you won't do it for me," Hotch began, "At least do it for my son. Please. He deserves to hear it."

The man stared back at Hotch, as the room fell into silence. Reid desperately whipped his eyes between the unsub and Hotch as the two stared at each other in the dark room.

"It won't take long." Hotch replied.

The unsub raised his gun as he stepped even closer to Hotch. A scornful smile passed across his face.

"Yeah…" the unsub replied slowly. "Why not…"

Hotch slowly reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone as the unsub closely watched his every move.

"I also want to apologize." Hotch said emotionlessly. The man chuckled as he looked at Hotch, a smug smile on his face.

"Is that so?" The man said smugly, after a brief silence. "Please, tell me agent… What for?"

Hotch stared right into the man's eyes, the two standing mere feet from each other as the tension in the theatre rose to an almost painful level.

"This."

Hotch suddenly flipped the cell phone over, pushing a button on the side as a blue flash of electricity sparked between two hidden contacts on the top of the phone. The unsub gasped as Hotch lunged at him, plunging the disguised taser into the man's chest as he tackled him to the ground. The man screamed as he tried aiming the gun at Hotch, but the electricity overpowered his body. Hotch pulled the taser away and rammed his elbow into the man's chest, the unsub's ribs cracking from the impact of the blow as he screamed in pain, dropping the gun. Hotch grabbed the unsub's pistol from the floor as he quickly reached under his necktie and jerked on the loop on the back, ripping a section of fabric from the tie as an object fell out from inside. The sound of footsteps running towards the door echoed through the theatre as Hotch picked up the object, standing up as the unsub clutched his chest on the ground. Officer Wilson and the other man burst through the door with their guns drawn just as Hotch flung the object towards them before ducking behind a seat, covering his ears as the object landed on the ground. It exploded with an ear splitting bang, sending a deafening echo throughout the entire structure as smoke poured from the ends. Officer Wilson and the other man recoiled from the blast, the sudden shock temporarily disorienting them as Hotch ran out from behind the seats with the unsub's gun in his hand. Two gunshots echoed throughout the theatre as Hotch fired two bullets at Officer Wilson, hitting her in the chest as she collapsed to the floor. A third gunshot rang through the air as Hotch fired one last bullet in the other man's head as he stumbled forward and collapsed into a seat, blood pouring from his skull.

The unsub whipped his head towards Hotch as he lay clutching his chest on the floor, watching as his two assistants fell dead to the ground. Hotch quickly turned around, pointing the gun at the unsub as he ran towards Reid, crouching down next to him as he gently removed the tape from Reid's mouth.

"Hotch…" Reid weakly exclaimed.

"It's okay, Reid." Hotch said. "You're going to be okay. The others are coming and they're going to get you out of here."

"The phone…" The unsub stammered, clutching his chest on the floor. "Very clever…"

Hotch turned around, pointing the gun at the unsub as he slowly walked towards him.

"Taking my agents was a mistake." Hotch said as he slowly approached the unsub. "And so was this. I knew you couldn't resist contacting me once you had disappeared with Reid so when you called, I offered you a deal you couldn't refuse."

"You for him…" The unsub stammered.

"I knew you were planning on killing us both." Hotch replied. "Which is how I knew that you were never actually planning on meeting at the Promenade. It's a public place. A busy one at that. You couldn't kill me there with so many people around. Someone would have seen you and caught you."

The unsub glared at Hotch as he lay on the floor clutching his chest, the pain from his broken ribs radiating throughout his body.

"The Promenade was a distraction." Hotch continued. "You knew that the police and my team would rush over there right after you called, so I knew you had to have another location in mind. It would have to be somewhere private. Somewhere where it would just be the three of us where you could kill us both without any interruptions, and somewhere that was in the complete opposite direction of the Promenade. You figured with my team and half the police force waiting for me there, you finally had me alone."

"How'd you know I was going to be here?" the unsub hissed from the ground.

"I didn't." Hotch replied. "I had no clue where you were going to actually meet me. Doing it here just happened to work out in my favour. It would have been nearly impossible to tell that the cell phone was actually a disguised stun gun in the dark."

The unsub glared at Hotch, breathing heavily as he clutched his ribs.

"The guns were distractions." Hotch continued. "They weren't even loaded. I knew you'd search me when I arrived and once you found the guns, you wouldn't look any further. Especially not in my tie."

"The stun grenade was a little overdramatic, don't you think?" the unsub hissed as he lay on the ground.

"I took it from the LAPD's tactical department." Hotch replied. "It was the smallest one they had. I knew it would be enough to disable anyone else you had waiting for me while I took your weapon."

"Well, congratulations. Do you want applause, Aaron?" the unsub hissed, his voice quiet yet enraged.

"We're not even at the best part." Hotch replied as he undid his left shoe and slipped his foot out, reaching into the shoe as he pulled out his disposable cell.

"My team's technical analyst was monitoring my cell phone to track any calls I received, when she noticed something strange."

The unsub swallowed hard as Hotch briefly paused.

"She realized that she wasn't the only one monitoring my phone." Hotch said. "You were too. You had hacked into all of our phones so you were listening to every phone call our team made. You thought you knew exactly what we were doing, but fortunately you didn't know about the burner cells we started using."

"You called the police chief…" the unsub replied. "You said your team was going to the Promenade."

"I knew you were listening, so I fed you what you wanted to hear." Hotch replied. "You thought my team was going to the Promenade, but actually they were going to the theatre once I texted them the location on the burner phone after you called. In fact, they're probably just around the corner right now."

Hotch flipped open the disposable cell and began typing a quick text message to Morgan and Rossi, letting them know it was safe to come in.

"You might think you've outsmarted me, but you just got lucky." The unsub hissed as he clutched his chest on the ground. "You think you've won? This isn't over."

Hotch finished typing the text message as he quickly sent it and slipped the phone into his pocket.

"This _is_ over." Hotch replied to the man. "We caught you. It's done."

Suddenly the sound of footsteps coming from the top of the stairs echoed through the theatre as Hotch and the unsub wheeled around. A police officer entered the theatre, his gun drawn as he looked down in horror at the dead bodies of Officer Wilson and the other man, before turning towards Hotch and the unsub.

"Don't move!" the police officer shouted, pointing his gun towards Hotch as he began descending the stairs. "And put the weapon down!"

"Please!" The unsub shouted. "He's trying to kill me!"

"Officer, my name is Aaron Hotchner and I'm with the FBI." Hotch said as the officer approached.

"I said to put the weapon down!" the officer yelled, aiming his gun at Hotch. "I'm not going to ask you again!"

"I am a federal agent!" Hotch shouted. "I need you to listen to me… My badge is in my pocket. I'm going to slowly take it out, okay?"

"He's lying!" the unsub shouted. "You've got to help me. He's crazy!"

"Don't listen to him!" Reid cried from the seats. "This man is a wanted criminal, and you're interfering with an FBI sting!"

The officer shot his eyes desperately between everybody as he continued descending the stairs.

"We all need to stay calm…" Hotch said. "I'm going to put the gun down while I retrieve my badge, okay?"

"Do it slowly!" the officer shouted.

"Okay…" Hotch said, as he slowly lowered the gun before gently tossing it onto one of the seats. "I'm going to reach into my pocket for my badge now, okay?"

"Hotch!"

Hotch wheeled around at the sound of Reid's voice as the unsub pulled a knife from his sport coat and lunged towards Hotch. Before he could react, the unsub plunged the knife into Hotch's leg as he fell to the ground, gasping in pain.

"Get out of here, now!" the officer shouted to the unsub, as the man began desperately crawling away.

"Hotch!" Reid screamed as Hotch reached for the gun, gunfire filling the room as the officer began shooting at Hotch who ducked behind the seats. The unsub tried getting to his feet, but collapsed back to the ground as he cried in pain, clutching his broken ribs as he crawled behind a small wall next to an emergency exit door to the right of the screen. Hotch fired two shots at the officer as he returned fire, bullets narrowly missing Hotch's arm as he ducked out of the way.

"FBI!" Morgan's voice shouted through the theatre, as the officer wheeled around in surprise. Morgan and Rossi burst through the door, their guns drawn as the officer raised his gun at Morgan. A cacophony of gunshots echoed through the room as Hotch fired the two remaining bullets in the gun at the Officer's back, while Morgan and Rossi each hit him twice in the chest. The officer collapsed to the floor, dropping his gun as Morgan and Rossi began descending the stairs.

"Where is he?" Rossi shouted.

"He's getting away!" Hotch cried, pointing to the unsub. Hotch tried standing up but the pain in his leg was too much and he fell back towards the ground, the knife still sticking out of his leg. Morgan rushed down the stairs as the unsub reached towards his ankle, pulling a second gun out from beneath his pant leg as he fired at Morgan and Rossi from behind the wall next to the exit door. The two agents ducked for cover as the unsub fired three shots before somehow getting to his feet, clutching his ribs with one hand and the gun in the other as he hobbled towards the door.

"Stop!" Morgan bellowed as he quickly stood up, firing at the unsub. His bullets missed as the unsub wheeled around, firing two shots at Morgan before ramming himself into the door, forcing it open as he stumbled outside. A piercing siren blared through the theatre as the emergency exit door was opened as Rossi wheeled around to see Morgan clutching his upper arm, blood beginning to drip from beneath his shoulder as he fell into a seat.

"I'm hit!" Morgan cried, grimacing in pain as he applied pressure to the wound. Rossi rushed towards him as the door closed behind the unsub as he ran outside.

"I'll call an ambulance!" Hotch cried from the bottom of the theatre. Morgan stood up, groaning in Pain as he clutched his arm.

"I'll be fine!" Morgan shouted, running towards the door. "We've got to get him!"

Morgan ran down the stairs as Rossi followed, reaching the bottom of the theatre.

"Your leg!" Rossi cried, looking at the knife sticking out as Hotch lay on the floor.

"It's fine Dave, just go!" Hotch shouted, wincing in agony as the pain radiated through his leg. "I'll call an ambulance for myself and Reid; you two go after him!"

Morgan burst through the emergency exit and rushed outside, the sudden bright light nearly blinding him after being exposed to the darkness in the theatre. Rossi followed him, shielding his eyes as he desperately looked around outside.

"There he is!" Rossi shouted, pointing to his left. The unsub was climbing into a black car parked behind a cluster of trees a few metres away from the back of the theatre. Rossi's SUV was nearby, sitting on the side of the road next to the cinemas only a few yards from where the unsub was parked. The agents ran towards their vehicle as the engine of the black car roared to life. Morgan raised his gun with his uninjured arm and began firing at the windows of the black car as it began accelerating forward. The sound of glass shattering rang out from the vehicle as the unsub ducked down, bullets peppering the sides of the car. The vehicle briefly slowed down just as Rossi and Morgan threw the doors of their SUV open and climbed inside. Morgan clutched his arm as he sat in the passenger's seat while Rossi quickly powered the vehicle on, turning on the lights and siren as the unsub came screeching out onto the man road, cutting off two vehicles as the sound of brakes squealing and horns honking filled the air. The black car screamed down the road as Rossi floored the accelerator, the vehicle's tires screeching against the pavement as the SUV tore down the road in pursuit.

"All units!" Morgan yelled, as he pulled a small radio from behind the siren console in the SUV while Rossi raced down the road behind the unsub's car, "We're in pursuit of a suspect fleeing in new model, black sedan! It's got bullet holes on the left side and shattered windows, heading south on Bellflower. The suspect is believed to be the Infinity Killer!"

Rossi stepped even harder on the accelerator as the two vehicles screamed down the road, the SUV's siren gradually fading into the distance as the quiet of the outdoors returned around the cinema. The serenity was only interrupted by a gentle rustling of the nearby trees, their leaves taunted by a seemingly infinite breeze in the nearly perfect southern California afternoon.

_**Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter...**_


	19. Chapter 19

The SUV screamed down the road in pursuit of the unsub's vehicle, sending traffic swerving out of the way as the unsub's car flew down the road with the SUV following close behind, its siren piercing through the air as the vehicle roared behind the unsub's car. Rossi struggled to avoid the traffic as he maneuvered the SUV through the lanes, watching as the unsub's sedan swerved in and out between vehicles as they picked up speed.

"He's approaching a red light!" Morgan shouted, pointing to an intersection a little ways ahead down the road.

"Why do I get the feeling that's not going to slow him down?" Rossi replied as the SUV sped towards the traffic lights. Rossi laid on the horn as the vehicle approached the intersection, the traffic heading in the opposite direction beginning to slow down as they saw the SUV's emergency lights flashing as it approached. The unsub's car sped through the red light followed by the SUV as cars came screeching to a halt in the middle of the intersection, trying to avoid colliding with the two vehicles.

Suddenly the brake lights shone out of the rear of the unsub's car as it swerved around a corner, sliding through a right turn onto another road as traffic desperately swerved out of the way. Rossi slammed on the brakes, sending the SUV into a controlled drift around the corner as they followed the car as it continued to race down the street.

"He's now heading West on Atherton Street!" Morgan shouted into the radio, as the SUV followed behind the vehicle. Two police cruisers had joined the chase and were following behind the SUV, their lights flashing as a barrage of sirens screamed through the air.

"He's trying to get to the highway!" Morgan shouted, pointing to the intersection. A roundabout style turnoff loomed in the distance as the unsub sped towards it before flying through a stop sign and swerving to the left, cutting off traffic as vehicles desperately swerved out of the way as the unsub flew past.

The horn blared from the SUV as Rossi sped through the corner, cars skidding to a stop in the traffic circle as the vehicles raced by. The unsub followed the street before making a sharp turn to the left, cutting off oncoming traffic as he swerved onto yet another road. Rossi followed just before three vehicles collided behind him causing the two police cars to slam on their brakes as the intersection became blocked with the accident. The unsub had turned onto a highway as Rossi pressed the gas pedal to the floor, desperate to catch up to the vehicle.

"He's going East on the Pacific Coast Highway!" Morgan screamed into the radio, as the vehicles tore down the road. He glanced to his right and could make out the Pacific Ocean in the distance along with the Santa Catalina Island as the SUV screamed along. Rossi looked up into his rear-view mirror and saw both police cars stuck back at the traffic circle, crumpled vehicles blocking the intersection as the officers ran out to assist the injured drivers.

"This guy isn't stopping." Rossi exclaimed as the vehicles raced down the highway. Morgan winced in pain as he pressed harder on the gunshot wound in his arm.

"He'll have to stop eventually." Morgan replied. Rossi looked over as Morgan grimaced, clutching his arm.

"Derek, you need to get that checked out." Rossi replied.

"Not until we catch this son of a bitch." Morgan said, groaning as the pain from his arm grew worse by the minute.

The chase continued as the vehicles sped down the Pacific Coast Highway, traveling southeast from Los Angeles into the surrounding beachfront communities. The highway reached ever closer to the ocean as they continued traveling south, tearing past a marina to their right as they approached the small city of Seal Beach.

"Where the hell is this guy going?" Morgan cried, as the SUV sped down the highway.

"He's going to kill somebody if he doesn't slow down." Rossi replied, as the two continued pursuing the car.

The vehicles flew past the beachfront scenery as the unsub frantically looked into his rear-view mirror, the SUV's flashing lights reflecting off the glass as they continued to follow his vehicle. The unsub accelerated even more, desperately swerving through traffic as the pain from his ribs radiated through his entire upper body. He narrowly missed a turning vehicle as he sped through an intersection, following the Pacific Coast Highway as it exited Seal Beach and continued along the coastline. The unsub frantically pulled a cell phone from his pocket as he continued speeding down the highway, the vehicle steadily approaching another beachfront community. He flipped the phone open, quickly glancing up and down between the road and the phone as he dialed a number before frantically holding the phone to his ear, steering with his other hand.

The car screamed down the highway with the SUV trailing close behind as the vehicles approached a cluster of large beach homes on the right of the road, following the highway as it entered the community of Sunset Beach. The unsub desperately clutched his phone to his ear as it slowly rang before somebody finally picked up on the other end.

"Alex!" The unsub stammered as he continued down the road, entering the community as palm trees and buildings began surrounding the highway. "You've got to help me… They're going to get me… I can't…"

The unsub spluttered unintelligibly into the phone as he sped past the Sunset Beach water tower and through an intersection, wincing in agony as the pain from his ribs throbbed through his body. Suddenly the car hit a bump as it flew down the road, jarring the phone from the unsub's hand as the cell fell to the floor. The man quickly glanced down, trying to find the phone to pick it back up just as a delivery truck began pulling out from a parking lot on the opposite side of the road, turning in front of the car. The unsub looked back up and gasped, slamming on the brakes as the car skidded towards the truck.

"Rossi!" Morgan shouted, watching as the delivery truck pulled out in front of the road.

Rossi slammed on the brakes just as the unsub's car clipped the front of the delivery truck, spinning out of control as it smashed into two more vehicles before crashing into the side of a nearby building, finally coming to a stop as smoke poured from the engine of the vehicle. Rossi tried swerving out of the way but the trailer of the truck had swung out, blocking the entire road as the SUV approached.

"Hold on!" Rossi shouted as the SUV skidded into the side of the truck and smashed into the trailer as the airbags deployed, filling the vehicle with an explosion of noise as the windows shattered in the SUV and the sound of crumpling metal echoed throughout the vehicle. Seconds felt like minutes as the SUV finally came to a halt, facing perpendicular to the road as Rossi tried getting his bearings after the crash. He looked over at Morgan, groaning in pain as he clutched his arm, the impact of the collision injuring his wounded shoulder even more.

"Derek!" Rossi shouted. "Are you okay?"

"My arm!" Morgan cried, briefly removing his hand as blood poured from the bullet hole. He grimaced, putting more pressure on the wound. "I can't move it!"

"I'll call an ambulance." Rossi cried as he pulled out his phone.

"I'll do it!" Morgan cried, gasping in pain. "You go! You've got to stop him!"

Rossi quickly nodded at Morgan as he forced the badly damaged door open, jumping out of the SUV as he pulled his gun out and ran towards the unsub's car. He made it out of the collision uninjured as he rushed around the delivery truck towards the unsub's vehicle lying smoking next to a building to the right of the road. Rossi approached the car, holding his gun in front of him as he ran around the car to the driver's side door. Rossi stopped, looking at the car incredulously. The door was open, and the driver's seat was empty. Suddenly the sound of gunfire tore through the air as Rossi quickly ducked behind the car, bullets hitting the other side of the vehicle as the unsub stood a short distance away, firing his gun. The unsub fired two more shots before turning and running away, one hand clutching his chest and the other brandishing the gun as he fled. Rossi ran out from behind the car, following the unsub as he ran down a street before ducking to the right where he disappeared down another small road.

Rossi ran after the man to the corner where he turned and followed it to the right, briefly slowing down as he desperately looked around. The street led down a row of large beach houses on the left, the ocean just visible between the homes, and a row of white Californian style duplexes on the other side. A twisting pathway that wound through a peaceful grass esplanade was located next to the road in the middle of the two rows of houses as Rossi frantically looked around, scanning the surroundings as he desperately looked for the unsub. He was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a scream shattered the silence of the quiet street as Rossi wheeled to his left. A cyclist stopped on the pathway a short ways ahead frantically pointed to a figure limping down the path, a gun clearly hanging from his hands as Rossi sprinted to the grass and down the pathway after the man.

"He's got a gun!" the cyclist cried as Rossi approached.

"I'm with the FBI!" Rossi shouted, the cyclist noticing Rossi's Kevlar vest as he ran past. "Stay back!"

The cyclist stared in shock as Rossi continued down the pathway, following the unsub as he desperately ran down the path. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the nearby trees as the sun shone down from a cloudless blue sky, when the peacefulness of the afternoon was suddenly interrupted again by another gunshot as the unsub fired behind him as he ran down the pathway. Rossi ducked behind a palm tree as the bullet flew past before another gunshot rang through the air. He darted out from behind the tree, running back after the man who was now reaching another intersecting street a short distance ahead. The unsub swerved to his left off the pathway as he ran up the street, disappearing out of view as Rossi chased after him.

Rossi rushed towards the street and turned the corner after the unsub, holding his gun in front of him as he ran. The street almost instantly ended as it led to an access path in between a break in the row of beachfront properties, heading to a golden sandy beach as the sparkling blue ocean rested at the end of the sand, seeming to meet the horizon of the sky in the distance. The unsub fired another shot behind him as Rossi turned the corner, the bullet missing as he ran down the sand-covered pathway and onto the beach. Rossi raced after the unsub as he felt his feet leaving the hard pavement of the road and meeting the soft, pliable sand as he ran further onto the beach. Rossi watched as the unsub desperately looked to either side of him as he ran further down the shore, nearly reaching the water. For the first time since the Infinity Killer had started six years ago, he was finally out of options.

"FBI!" Rossi shouted, aiming his gun at the man. "Stop!"

Rossi fired his gun, hitting the man in the back of his leg under his knee. The man cried out as he tried to keep running but his leg collapsed from underneath him as he fell to the ground, the gun falling out of his hands and landing a short distance away from the water on the sand. Rossi stopped running, trying to catch his breath after the chase as he watched the man tumble to the ground. Rossi's heart was pounding in his chest after the chase as he stood motionless on the beach, holding his gun towards the man as he nearly expected him to somehow get up and keep going. Blood poured from the unsub's leg as he began desperately clawing towards the water to reach his gun, painting a crimson trail in the sand as the unsub dragged himself closer to the ocean.

Rossi slowly walked towards the man as he gradually caught his breath, holding his gun at the unsub as he approached. The beach was deserted as Rossi glanced down each side of the shore. Miles of uninterrupted sand covered the coastline as a row of bleached beach houses sat behind him along the coast, traveling endlessly into the distance. There was no noise except for the afternoon's gentle breeze along with the waves of the ocean crashing onto the shore as Rossi approached, his breathing gradually slowing down as he walked closer towards the man on the beach.

The unsub tried dragging himself closer to the water, but the pain in his ribs and leg was too much as he lay gasping on the ground, blood dripping from the back of his leg. He heard Rossi's footsteps approaching in the sand as he painfully rolled over onto his back as he clutched his chest, watching as Rossi steadily approached. He desperately reached for the gun with his other hand, but it was still too far away as he lay gasping on the ground.

Rossi calmly walked next to the unsub, kicking the gun out of his reach as the man lay on the sand, a mixture of relief and anger racing through Rossi's mind as he glared down at the man lying groaning on the ground. Rossi stood over him, looking down as he pointed his gun at the man's head, the reality of the situation starting to sink in. There was silence except for the crash of the waves as Rossi stared at the unsub, an almost unbelievable sense of closure surrounding him as he finally stood over the man who had gone unpunished for so long.

"It was a mistake going after my team." Rossi said quietly, after a brief silence. The man looked up at him, an almost resigned sadness in his eyes as he clutched his chest. "You thought you were invincible. You thought you could wipe out every one of us. And that's when you started making mistakes."

The unsub looked into Rossi's eyes as he took a pained breath.

"Please…" the unsub creaked, his voice expressionless and shaky, "Don't do this…"

"Do what?" Rossi quietly replied back at the unsub, "Take you to prison?"

"I've got contacts everywhere." The unsub groaned. "They'll cover up everything. You'll have no evidence, and I'll be released. You know I will."

Rossi stood over the unsub as he stared into the man's eyes.

"I pay for the lifestyle of the people who work for me…" The unsub continued. "They know if you put me away, the money stops. They'll never let me go behind bars. Even if you make the charges stick, they'll help me escape."

Rossi sighed, looking down at the unsub. A seagull cried out from the distance, the breeze carrying its discordant call across the shoreline.

"Yeah…" Rossi said slowly. "I know. But I was never planning on taking you to prison."

The unsub stared back at Rossi, a wave of fear passing over his face for the very first time.

"I knew that given all the corrupt officials you have working for you, you'd manage to slime your way out somehow." Rossi replied as he crouched down next to the unsub on the sand, his gun still aimed at the man's head. "As you said, you're the main benefactor for a whole bunch of bad people. They'd do anything to keep the cash flowing."

The unsub coughed as he gasped and clutched his chest, wheezing as he took a breath. One of his broken ribs had punctured his lung after the impact of the car crash, causing his breathing to become more difficult by the minute.

"You know…" Rossi began slowly, "I always wondered what this day would be like. How the end would all play out. And here we are. It's all boiled down to this."

The unsub wheezed as he looked up at Rossi, panic in his eyes.

"You're out of options." Rossi said slowly. "Out of weapons, out of plans and out of help. For the first time in six years, you're out of everything. You've walked into the one scenario you've never planned for."

The unsub swallowed hard, clutching his chest as he lay defeated on the ground.

"You're the Infinity Killer..." Rossi slowly said. "You know, I also wondered about what should happen to you when you were finally caught, and prison never seemed quite right. Prison is no justice for somebody like you. Assuming your contacts didn't bust you out the next day, you'd become a pseudo celebrity in there. You'd be on an ego trip every day, bragging to the others about what you did. What you were able to get away with for so long. After everything that you've done it would be too easy."

The unsub looked up at Rossi, fear glinting in his eyes as he lay bleeding on the ground.

"My job is to help people." Rossi slowly said. "To protect them. To protect them from evil, delusional bastards like you. And there's only one way to truly protect them from you after all these years. There's only one thing you deserve after everything you've done."

The unsub swallowed as he desperately looked up at Rossi, realizing what he was going to do.

"No…" The unsub pleaded, "You can't do that… You can't kill me…"

Rossi stared at the man, the unsub's eyes filling with fear as the waves gently crashed against the shore.

"Please… Don't do this." The unsub pleaded, a desperate tone in his voice. "I know you're upset, but killing me isn't going to reverse anything I've done."

"How does it feel?" Rossi slowly asked. "To be in the shoes of your victims? How does it feel to finally be on the receiving end after all these years?"

"Please…" the unsub begged, his voice growing increasingly desperate. "You're not like me, David. Please, you're a good man. You don't do what I do. The guilt will consume you…"

"The only guilt I will ever have," Rossi slowly hissed at the man, "Is if I let you live after all the lives that you have destroyed, and all the people you've hurt for your own sick pleasure. I'm going to make sure you can't hurt anybody ever again."

The unsub looked desperately at Rossi who stared calmly back at the man.

"You know what's the most satisfying part about my job?" Rossi slowly asked, as silence surrounded the two. "It's seeing people like you for who you really are. Cowards. Each and every one of you."

The unsub swallowed hard as he clutched his chest, desperately looking into Rossi's eyes.

"Everybody thinks that people like you are monsters, but you're not. You're just weak." Rossi growled. "You make yourself feel strong by killing innocent people, and then you hide away in the shadows, too afraid to show your face. You make yourself out to be some sort of infallible angel of death, but you're not. None of you are."

The gentle breeze whistled through the warm air, carrying the spray from the ocean's waves onto the land where it sprinkled against the two.

"See, that's the thing about evil." Rossi continued. "This job has taught me that it's never some sort of Hollywood villain or storybook monster. It's not a dragon that has to be slayed. It's just an ordinary man. That's all evil ever is. And once you finally unmask them and strip away their power, this is all you're left with. A weak, pathetic coward who's so desperately afraid of the one thing they get off on the most. A sad, tormented loser. That's all you are. That's all you've ever been."

"Please…" the man whimpered, "Don't do this… Don't kill me."

"I find it funny," Rossi hissed, "How it's perfectly fine when you take the lives of dozens of innocent people, but you can't handle when the same is about to happen to you."

"I never said what I do is fine." The unsub pleaded, as he desperately looked at Rossi, tears in his eyes. "It's not right, and it's not fair… I know that. But I'm a sick man… I need help."

Rossi slowly shook his head. Even now, the unsub was still trying to manipulate his way out.

"It's too late for that." Rossi replied. He stood up, pointing his gun towards the unsub's head.

"Don't do this…" the unsub pleaded, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry… Please, I'm sorry…"

Rossi glared at the unsub, standing over him.

"Oh, you're sorry?" Rossi hissed. "_Now_ you're sorry after everything that you've done?"

The unsub weakly nodded, fear now running rampant through his eyes.

"You're not sorry." Rossi growled. "You're only sorry that you got caught. You're only sorry that we finally outsmarted you... You're sorry that you lost."

The unsub coughed and wheezed, clutching his chest as Rossi stood over him, the white noise of the crashing waves resonating throughout the deserted beach as the two remained on the golden sand lying underneath the afternoon's cloudless cerulean blue sky.

"You wanted to go down in history as the one that got away." Rossi calmly said. "The _Infinity Killer_… You wanted to vanish without anyone knowing who you were and you wanted the entire world to be afraid of you. But I'm going to make sure everybody knows what you really were. Not a powerful criminal, but an insecure, scared little man terrified of death. _Not_ brave. _Not_ special. Just a coward."

The man desperately looked at Rossi, his heart pounding.

"Please…" the man begged. "If you let me live, I'll give you money… As much as you want, it's yours."

"I've got money." Rossi replied quietly.

"I'll give you millions." The unsub begged. "I'll tell you who works for me in the police force. I'll tell you who works for me in the FBI… I'll give you all the names, please, just let me go…"

Rossi stared down at the unsub.

"It doesn't matter." He said calmly. "Once you're gone, it'll all be over. Your contacts will mean nothing."

"They'll kill you…" the unsub frantically pleaded, as Rossi slowly shook his head. "They'll kill your entire team, they will…"

Rossi stared into the unsub's eyes, the breeze gently blowing his hair around his face.

"That's enough." Rossi said sternly.

"If you kill me, you'll go to jail." The unsub gasped. "You'll be dismissed from the Bureau… Your team will disown you. You'll have blood on your hands…"

Rossi gave the unsub a small smile as he slowly lowered his gun, putting it back into his holster. The two were mere feet from the water's edge as Rossi glanced out at the open sea.

"I'm not going to use my hands." Rossi replied slowly. He suddenly kicked the man in his ribs as the unsub howled in pain, recoiling as he rolled closer to the ocean, gasping as the pain radiated through his body.

"That was for what you did to Spencer." Rossi slowly hissed before he delivered a second kick to the unsub's back, sending him rolling closer to the water as he cried in agony.

"That was for what you did to Aaron." Rossi repeated, his voice growing angry before kicking him a third time in his wounded leg. The man screamed as he rolled onto his stomach, lying face down in the sand.

"That's for what you did to Derek." Rossi exclaimed, raising his voice as he slowly walked around the man and crouched down, grabbing the man's collar as he began dragging the man towards the water.

"No…" the unsub pleaded, "Please don't… No…"

Rossi dragged the man closer before throwing him towards the water as the unsub landed face down in the ocean, the water partially covering his body. Rossi stepped into the sea, putting his foot on the back of the man's neck as he pushed his head under the water.

"And this is for what you did to Jennifer." Rossi hissed, pushing the man's head under. He pushed harder as the man sputtered, too weak to fight as Rossi kept his foot on the unsub's neck. Rossi's heart was pounding as a flood of emotions suddenly surged through his head. He had no idea if JJ had survived the surgery after the unsub had shot her, as visions of the blood-soaked chair in the desert flashed through his mind along with the image of her lifeless body being carried into the helicopter. He had no idea what the unsub had done to Reid, as his bruised body lying tied on the seats in the theatre raced through his mind, followed by the image of the knife sticking out of Hotch's leg as his blood pooled on the floor. The gunshots in the theatre echoed through his head as he saw the bullet wound on Morgan's arm flash past his eyes, followed by the images from the crime scene photos of every innocent person the Infinity Killer had slaughtered, the blood almost dripping in front of Rossi's eyes. Men and woman. Young and old died because of this man, as the crime scene photos flashed through his head, followed by an image of the Infinity symbol painted in dripping crimson blood as it lay tauntingly in front of Rossi's eyes.

And then it was gone.

The sparkling blue ocean shone in the sunlight as Rossi stared motionless into the distance. The breeze brushed past him as he stood in the ocean, the water flowing around his ankles as he slowly looked down into the sea. The lifeless body of the Infinity Killer remained motionless in the water, as he slowly removed his foot from the back of the man's neck. The man's head remained under the water as Rossi slowly stepped back, the ocean splashing under his shoes as he backed out of the water and stood motionless on the sand. He took a deep breath, moving his eyes from the killer's body to the horizon. The sound of his breathing was deafening as he stood alone on the beach, the waves gently playing in the water in front of him as his heart rate began to slow down. He continued to stand motionless, staring at the horizon when he felt himself beginning to truly take in the scenery for the very first time. It was a picturesque day outside, as Rossi gazed out towards the open water. The breeze tempered the heat of the day as Rossi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the sea air filling his lungs. He slowly exhaled; reopening his eyes as he slowly turned to his right and gazed down the shore. There was still nobody else on the miles of uninterrupted sand as he looked down the coastline, the city of Long Beach just visible in the haze of the day as Rossi slowly turned around, a sudden sensation of closure entering his mind. For the first time in six years, everybody was finally free. The city was free. California was free. Rossi sighed as he gazed at the row of beach houses. Finally after so many years, the Infinity Killer could hurt no one else.

Suddenly Rossi's phone began to ring, slightly startling him as the peaceful serenity of the beach was interrupted. Rossi glanced down and cleared his throat before reaching into his pocket as he pulled out his phone. He took a quick breath as he answered the call and placed the phone next to his ear.

"This is David Rossi…" Rossi said quietly, the ocean breeze brushing past him as he stood on the sand.

"Dave…" Callahan's voice exclaimed from the phone.

"Kate!" Rossi replied. "How's JJ? Is she going to be okay?"

"I just talked to the surgeon." Callahan said from the other end of the line. "She made it through the surgery and the doctors said she's going to make a full recovery. She's going to be fine, Dave!"

Rossi shakily exhaled, smiling in relief as he held the phone to his ear on the beach.

"Thank God." Rossi replied, his voice relieved. "Thank God…"

"I tried calling the others, but nobody picked up." Callahan said urgently. "What's going on? Is everybody okay?"

"We found Reid." Rossi replied comfortingly. "Hotch and Morgan are hurt, but they're going to be fine."

"Oh my God…" Callahan said quietly, "What happened?"

"We got him." Rossi replied. "It's over now, Kate. It's finished. Listen, I'll call you as soon as I get to the others, and I'll meet you at the Hospital, okay?"

"Okay." Callahan said, her voice relieved.

"Thanks for calling, Kate." Rossi said appreciatively. "I'll see you soon."

Rossi lowered the phone from his ear, disconnecting the call as he put the phone back into his pocket. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly walked back towards the road from the beach, the sand sticking to the seawater on his shoes. He approached the small pathway that led from the beach back to the street before he stopped and turned around, taking one last look at the ocean. It's sparkling blue surface disappeared in infinite waves along the horizon as Rossi took in the view one last time before turning back around, walking off the beach and down the street, the sun shining upon the scenery with a comforting aura.

_**Thank you all for reading. Please stay tuned for the next, and final chapter.**_


	20. Chapter 20

It was ten o'clock in the morning, and the sun's rays were already beginning to heat the Balboa Peninsula as beach-goers began arriving for a sunny southern California Day by the sea. Scattered cumulous clouds decorated the sky, looking like fluffy balls of cotton candy as they casually hung in the air while a gentle breeze danced past the leaves on palm trees as they swung by the shore.

There was a small gathering of individuals near a picnic table in the nearby Peninsula Park, situated just off the sand next to a long wooden pier that jetted out into the Pacific Ocean. Eight people sat silently around the table as the group casually looked around, one of the individuals glancing up as they noticed a man quietly walking towards them across the grass.

The approaching man was tall with short black hair, and wore a blue button-up shirt tucked into a pair of grey dress pants. A pair of dark sunglasses covered his eyes and he carried a small black briefcase as he sat down at one end of the bench, glancing at the others.

"Thank you all for meeting me here." The man said in a flat tone. "I know not everyone was able to come in person on such short notice, but I'm glad as many of you came as you did."

The man quickly stopped talking as a jogger ran by. The breeze ruffled his hair as he took a quick breath.

"I'm sure you've all heard what's happened." The dark-haired man continued. The group all looked at him, slightly nodding. "We all knew this day could come."

The man briefly paused, opening the briefcase on his lap as he pulled envelopes out, handing them to each individual.

"The funds in the account have been divided equally, as we had previously discussed." The dark haired man said, handing out the envelopes. "Everybody's received over a million. The money should appear in your accounts by the end of the day."

The man continued handing out the envelopes, as everyone quickly put them in their pockets and bags.

"New passports and identities are in the envelopes." The dark-haired man continued. "Disappear with them immediately if anyone ever starts digging."

"What about the others?" One of the individuals quietly asked.

"I've contacted them." The dark-haired man replied. "They will receive theirs as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Alex." Someone said quietly from the table. The dark-haired man gave a quick nod.

"It's what had to be done." He replied. "From now on we don't contact each other. We don't even know each other."

The man paused again as a cyclist passed by on a nearby path.

"We tell no one about this." He continued. "This never happened. Understood?"

The group murmured in agreement as the dark-haired man stood up.

"We take this to our graves." He said before a brief pause. "To infinity."

The dark haired man gave one final nod to the group before turning around and walking away, holding his brief case in one hand while he put his other into his pocket as he departed across the grass. The remainder of the individuals also got to their feet, quietly walking away as the table quickly vacated, each person steadily disappearing into the swiftly forming crowds. The picnic table sat vacant in the sunbathed park for a few seconds until a bird flew down from a nearby palm tree, landing on the edge of the table as it swiveled its head around almost as if admiring the scenery. The breeze ruffled its feathers as it gave a quick chirp before quickly taking flight, ascending towards the ocean as it flew away out of sight, disappearing into the endless sky.

* * *

"_Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table._" - W.H. Auden

The door of the aircraft closed with a strong thump as it sat on the Los Angeles Airport's tarmac, preparing to depart California as the BAU team finished getting settled in their seats inside the small jet. The door to the flight deck was still open as the Captain finished various checks, while the First Officer quickly ensured the aircraft door was properly closed prior to takeoff in the cabin.

"The Captain's just finishing up our pre-start checks," the First Officer said, looking at Hotch, "But we'll be starting the engines and taking off shortly."

"Thank you." Hotch replied back. The First Officer quickly returned to the cockpit, closing the door behind him for the flight.

The flat screen television on the front bulkhead of the jet was turned on, tuned to a local news station as Rossi sat quietly watching while the news anchor's voice filled the aircraft.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Reid's voice quietly asked, interrupting the news program. Reid was sitting next to JJ as she settled into her seat, wincing slightly as her gunshot wound occasionally stung.

"Spence, I'm fine." JJ said reassuringly with a smile. "The doctors cleared me to fly. I've got to take it easy for a few weeks, but I'm going to be just fine."

"Did they check for sepsis?" Reid asked. "Sometimes the initial symptoms don't present themselves until a few days after surgery, but something as simple as an undetected perforation in the large intestine could lead to full body inflammation and a variety of other complications."

JJ smiled and rolled her eyes, glancing at Morgan.

"Derek, can you make him stop?" JJ said sarcastically.

Morgan had a large bandage around the wound in his arm as he looked over at Reid, smiling.

"I've still got one good arm, kid." Morgan playfully threatened. "Don't make me have to use it!"

Reid sheepishly smiled, as JJ gave him a playful nudge. Morgan looked over, smiling.

"Really, though." Morgan began, "How's our tough girl doing over there?"

JJ smiled, resting a hand over the wound on her abdomen.

"Well, apart from a pillowcase sized bandage wrapped around me and enough painkillers and antibiotics to kill a small animal…" JJ began, smiling. "I'm doing great. How's the arm?"

Morgan glanced over at his bandage wrapped just beneath his shoulder.

"Hurts like hell, but it's going to be fine." Morgan replied. Hotch was sitting next to him, a bandage wrapped over stitches on his leg, covering the knife wound as he glanced over at Rossi watching the news programme.

"And we have breaking news from the Los Angeles Police Department today," the news anchor said, as everybody in the plane quickly hushed and turned to face the screen.

"The serial murderer known as the 'Infinity Killer' has finally been identified by police after an almost six year spree in which he evaded the authorities. The killer was found dead by police yesterday, after what the authorities are calling an accidental drowning. Police Chief Kevin Hunt announced this morning in a press conference that the perpetrator collapsed in the water by Sunset Beach after sustaining serious injuries from a car accident and a police chase, as he fled arrest. By the time authorities had caught up to the man, it was too late."

Hotch looked over at Rossi, as the two exchanged an understanding glance before giving a quick nod and turning away.

"Certainly good news for the citizens of Los Angeles, and California as a whole." The news anchor said conversationally to her co-anchor.

"That's right Amber." The co-anchor replied from the television. "Our streets are definitely a little safer for everybody now."

Rossi picked up a small remote and held it towards the TV, pushing a button as it powered off. He gave a small smile and sighed, looking at the others.

"Well…" Rossi said quietly. "I guess that's that."

The team could hear the sound of the engines spooling up as the jet began to come to life, the hum resonating throughout the cabin as everybody ensured their seatbelts were fastened in preparation for the taxi.

"I phoned Garcia before we got on the plane." Callahan said, who was sitting near Rossi on the aircraft. "She said the LAPD identified the guy as 35 year old Harold Thompson."

"After all these years, we finally have a name." Rossi slowly reflected.

"Do you think he really was..." Reid quietly asked before briefly pausing. "A genius?"

"I guess we'll never know." Morgan said, looking out the window of the aircraft.

"Garcia couldn't find anything about an official IQ test," Callahan said, looking at her phone, "But the guy graduated college when he was 17 under the name George Wyatt. He was some sort of computer programming prodigy that sold a software company he had created for a hundred and fifty million dollars when he was in his early twenties. After that, it looks like he changed his name, took the money and disappeared."

"If he was that good with computers, that explains how he was able to hack into the security systems of the victim's homes so easily." JJ said.

"And our phones." Morgan included.

"He could have used his money and intelligence for anything." Reid said. "But he used it to do all this..."

"The money is what likely gave him his first feelings of power and control." Hotch said. "Pair that with any pre-existing narcissistic or psychopathic tendencies, and it's not surprising that he escalated the way he did."

The team heard the engines spin up as the jet began to slowly crawl forward under its own power, taxiing to the runway.

"The police traced his residence to a thirty million dollar mansion in Malibu." Callahan continued. "He had a Tesla Model S parked in one of the garages, which Garcia managed to pull the GPS data from. He drove the thing all over California, and his route matches that of the cities he's hit."

"Do you think we'll ever find all the corrupt officials he had working for him?" Morgan asked.

"Probably not." Hotch replied. "I get the feeling that they're all going to disappear now that their leader's finally been caught."

"Garcia discovered that the fifteen million in his account that he extorted from Mr. Warrener was drained yesterday evening." Callahan said.

"Probably divvied it up between his cronies," Rossi said, "And they walked away."

"Still, it's kind of freaky to realise how many corrupt people there are in these organizations." Callahan mused. "Police, business, medical. Even the FBI. It makes you wonder who you can trust…"

"We can trust each other." Rossi said reassuringly with a smile, looking at everybody on the plane as the aircraft turned onto the runway and came to a stop. "No matter what happens, that's something that will always stick with us 'till infinity."

The others smiled as the engines of the jet advanced to their maximum power, sending the aircraft accelerating down the runway while they sat back in their seats. The aircraft gently rotated as it climbed away from the pavement, departing Los Angeles and leaving the bustle of the sun-soaked city behind. After a few seconds the jet rolled into a smooth turn to the east for the flight back to Quantico as it steadily ascended, passing over the open, boundless ocean and continuing further into the pristine, limitless sky.

* * *

_**Thank you to everybody who read this story. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as mush as I did writing it!**_


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